TRAIN

Texas A&M Rio Grande Valley Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation

About Us

The Texas manufacturing sector is thriving, and the Rio Grande Valley is poised to become a vital component of this expanding opportunity.

In 2021, the Texas State Legislature funded the Texas A&M RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now — called TRAIN >> Es Tu Futuro. This program will help connect local community members with the necessary training needed to become employed by local industry, while also engaging local educational entities to inform and prepare high school and college students for careers in advanced manufacturing. The three pillars of the program include workforce, innovation and community.

TRAIN is composed of a balance between workforce, innovation, and community.

Why the RGV?

Texas is the 10th largest economy in the world, and its manufacturing economy is the second largest in the United States. South Texas is vital to the Texas economy, especially the manufacturing sector, where there are currently upwards of 30,000 jobs in the Rio Grande Valley alone. To continue on the path of manufacturing innovation, it is vital that we train the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow.

two manufacturing trainees talking in a manufacturing workshop

Two of the state of Texas’ top engineering agencies — the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) — have teamed up with local leaders in the Rio Grande Valley to establish the Texas A&M Rio Grande Valley Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now (TRAIN) to develop a workforce skilled in advanced manufacturing techniques and promote manufacturing in the region.

With its close proximity to the robust Mexican manufacturing ecosystem, the Rio Grande Valley is uniquely qualified to be the site of expansive training and innovation in the latest technological advances for the 21st-century manufacturing workforce. By working with community leaders and local industry, TRAIN supports transforming the Rio Grande Valley into a leader in advanced manufacturing.