The two workforce development boards that serve the Rio Grande Valley held a joint event, the "State of the Regional Workforce Conference," at the Margaritaville Beach Resort on South Padre Island. The boards are Workforce Solutions Cameron and Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Rafael Vela, chief executive officer of Workforce Solutions Cameron, told the Rio Grande Guardian Business Journal that the boards had not met together in a long time, if ever. He said the meeting helped leaders share strategies and build working relationships. Part of the program was a boat tour of the Port of Brownsville ship channel.
Vela said meeting future labor needs will require a regional approach. He said Brownsville Mayor John Cowen projected up to 60,000 new jobs in the area over the next decade. Vela said Cameron County's labor force of about 175,000 cannot meet those needs alone. He also said the NextDecade LNG construction project under Bechtel requires more than 6,000 workers. According to Vela, about 1,700 people commute daily from Hidalgo County to Cameron County for work, and about 1,300 make the opposite trip.