Upskill Houston: An industry-led collaboration working to close the skills gap
UpSkill Houston is an employer-led initiative that mobilizes the collective action of more than 200 critical stakeholders to strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers that employers need and to create better pathways to opportunity and prosperity for all Houstonians. Our focus is on the good careers in Houston that require skills beyond high school, but less than a four-year college degree.
Centers of Excellence
HCC's 14 Centers of Excellence focus on top-notch faculty and industry best practices to give students the skills they need for a successful career, from accounting and welding to auto maintenance and fashion design.
- Academics
- Global Energy
- Architectural Design & Construction
- Health Sciences
- Consumer Arts & Sciences
- Material Sciences & Smart Manufacturing
- Digital & Information Technology
- Media, Visual & Performing Arts
- Education and Professions
- Public Safety
- Engineering
- Transportation
Roustabout Drilling Technician Training
The RigOne Program is a visionary project that facilitates recruitment and training of the next generation of entry-level rig crew members. Designed by and for the drilling contractors, the program advances an innovative solution for the big crew change: trained, technically educated, safety conscious and promotable new hires.
Their vision is founded on creating a realistic rig environment for new-hire induction, orientation and training. For drilling contractors, the RigOne Program offers relevant, robust and industry-driven training at a world-class facility designed by and for the drilling industry in collaboration with Houston Community College, one of the nation’s largest community colleges.
McNair Center
McNair Center is a state-of-the-art instructional space where students receive hands-on technical training with the latest technology to prepare for high-paying careers in the growing petrochemical and construction industries.
Industrial students at the center learn within a modern industrial environment closely modeled after what they will find upon entering the workforce. Course curricula are built around standards set by the National Center for Construction Education and Res-earch (NCCER), allowing students to earn industry-recognized credentials that make them more competitive in the job market.
Center for Workforce and Community Development
Lee College's Center for Workforce and Community Development offers a variety of non-credit programs, courses and classes for individuals who are on a journey to pro-fessional and business success or who want to enhance the quality of their personal lives by learning new skills, acquiring knowledge that's useful in the workforce or their daily lives, increasing their physical fitness level, developing a new hobby, or just having fun.
The Small Business Development Center provides businesses with one-on-one consulting and information assistance to foster economic growth in the community.
Lee College’s Risk Management Institute recognizes that people are priceless. Because of this, safety knowledge should be free. The RMI provides free seminars, workshops, and safety training on worker’s health and safety for employers, employees, and the general public.
Corporate College
Lone Star Corporate College, a division of Lone Star College, partners with national & multinational corporations to provide customized training, industry certifications, and opportunities to recruit graduates. Training is focused on high-demand growth industries such as energy, technology, automated manufacturing, and healthcare.
Process Technology Center
The LSC-Process Technology Center is a stand-alone campus in the Lone Star College System and provides the community with local access to workforce training in their Process Technology and Instrumentation Technology programs.
Westway Park Technology Center
LSC Westway Park Technology Center is a state-of-the-art training facility with a focus on IT and Visual Communication programs. Their training labs prepare students for the workforce by providing a real-world experience while developing their skills. They have industry certified faculty, all with field-based expertise, prepare students with level I, and Level II certificates as well as AAS degrees in various areas of IT and Visual Communication.
LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology
San Jacinto College's LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology (CPET) leads the way in training the advanced workforce to meet the growing demands of the industry. While it’s well known that the petrochemical industry needs more workers, what it really needs is a more skilled workforce. San Jacinto College proudly continues to be the industry’s training hub.
San Jacinto College has served as the training leader for the petrochemical, energy and technology workforce in the greater Houston area for more than 40 years. With four campuses located throughout East Harris County, the College serves as a training hub to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the United States, and second largest in the world with 90 industries and 130 plants. The College plays a vital role in helping the region become the “Energy Capital of the World.”
Corporate Training - Consulting Services
Understands each client has unique organizational/business unit needs requiring powerful, results-driven solutions. Organizational performance consulting, customized training and development, coaching, and needs assessment are only a few of the performance solutions they offer.
Skills Development Fund
The Skills Development Fund (SDF) is Texas' premier upskilling program. SDF grants provide site-specific, customized training opportunities for Texas businesses and their employees to increase skill levels and wages of the Texas workforce. Success comes through collaboration among economic development partners, business partners, and eligible grant applicants, which include public community or technical colleges, the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), community-based organizations in partnership with one of these entities, or a local Workforce Development Board.