For companies looking to train or retrain their workers, or people who want to expand their skills, there’s no better destination than the community college network in Texas.

As workers look to learn new crafts or sharpen existing skills and companies retool their operations, the colleges are nimbly responding to specific needs in their communities, says Steven Johnson, associate vice president for external relations for the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

“One of the distinct advantages the colleges have is that they are independent local institutions,” Johnson says, “They have a locally elected board and are independently accredited, so they have natural connections to the workforce and economic development officials in the areas they serve.”

Community colleges are often the first and preferred provider for workforce development and training, allowing them to expand their offerings into areas of demand.

“West Texas might need welders, while elsewhere there is a need for process-management training,” Johnson says. “The colleges can ramp up those programs quickly, and then ramp them right back down until they’re needed again. They also can build on these and related academic programs over time, so that their graduates can get an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year university if they continue their studies.”

Even better, the colleges are able to work with people whose skills are no longer in demand, so that they can train for the jobs that are coming rather than wait for those that may never reappear.

“Community colleges have become the largest graduate schools in the United States,” Johnson says. “We have a lot of people who have a bachelor’s degree, but need to develop new skills for the jobs that will be here as they economy picks up. Many of these people are employed, but they realize that they need more skills, so they are coming here to retool.”