TEEX teams with Prairie View A&M to prepare students for highway construction jobs

Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) are collaborating to offer the Texas Construction Career Academy for the second year.

Hosted by the PVAMU Office of Continuing Education, the two-week program is designed to help prepare participants for jobs in the highway construction industry. TEEX is providing training in backhoe operation, worker safety and OSHA construction standards, which qualified the participants to receive an OSHA 10-hour card. The students are also the first to attend the Temporary Traffic Control Worker training — a new course now required by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

PVAMU spearheaded the project and provides participants with training about job applications and interviewing skills, as well as personal finance, and hosts a job fair. Most sessions are held at the PVAMU Northwest Houston Center.

Hands-on backhoe training was conducted by TEEX Instructor Jon Williamson at the TEEX Infrastructure Training & Safety heavy equipment training field on the Texas A&M Riverside Campus. The 10-hour OSHA class was conducted by Von Griggs-Law.

The Construction Career Academy is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and administered by TxDOT.