WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announces that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $5-million grant to SER-Jobs for Progress of the Texas Gulf Coast, Inc., Houston, Texas, to help establish a new workforce training center that will help develop skilled workers to support the growth of critical business sectors. The grant, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $2.2 million in local funds and is expected to help create 6,000 new jobs.

“The new workforce training center in Houston will provide strong workforce development programs in a variety of industry sectors — including telecommunications, transportation, energy, construction, manufacturing and infrastructure — and special Opportunity Zone tax incentives will further incentivize investment in the area to help the local economy grow,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

The project will help SER acquire and construct a metal-style warehouse training center, eight education classrooms, three hands-on training labs, six office areas and one large meeting area. The training will focus on industries involved in current recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey and future economic needs for the region.

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Gulf Coast Economic Development District (GCEDD). EDA funds GCEDD to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas.