Prosperity Task Force
The Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force is seeking to enhance economic development in the Rio Grande Valley by building individual and community assets using scientific data to ensure the availability of living wage jobs and training people to fill them, and by using these assets to attract outside business and industry to locate here. Ultimately, this plan is intended to become a model for other parts of Texas.
Task Force Subgroups
It begins with the development of a human capital pipeline that identifies candidates for job training, supports them with some financial assistance and trains them. The pipeline is broken down into the following subgroups:
Administration
Helps coordinate all the subgroups and ensures the strategy is being
implemented.
Medical Services
Provides help and information for the health care needs of the
constituency.
Food Insecurity
Provides help and information for the food needs of the constituency.
Housing
Provides help and information for the housing needs of the constituency.
Transportation
Oversees development of a plan to expand transportation services to
include unincorporated areas of Hidalgo County.
Finance
Explores ways in which job training and living expenses for candidates can be paid for or supplemented.
Mentoring
Matches professionals with candidates identified for job training to provide moral support and direction while undergoing training.
Economic Development
Develops a strategy for expansion and support of existing businesses in Hidalgo County.
CEO Group
Advocates for public policy changes when necessary and helps create
climate for outside investment in Hidalgo County.
Counseling
Provides career counseling services for candidates that have been identified by front line workers as having the potential for job training.
Higher Education
Provides a pathway for post-secondary education versus trade
schools.
Workforce Development
Identifies entities that can provide training.
Policy Group
Helps establish a pipeline protocol to increase efficiency and expand job training opportunities.
Hidalgo County is in one of the most strategic locations nationwide where two national economies are converging into one vibrant and growing economy. However, not everyone has benefitted from this geography.
We, therefore, need to gather pertinent and accurate statistical information to be able to tell the story of Hidalgo County at a time when Hispanics, which make up 92 percent of our population, has become the dominant population of Texas. The challenges and opportunities of Hidalgo County will soon become the challenges and opportunities of Texas.
Roadmap Towards Human Capital
in Hidalgo County
