Workforce Education Required for Certain Businesses, Jobs
- Due to the critical role of certain occupations, state and federal regulations require certification, licensing, or continuing education in order to maintain minimum competency standards.
- High-quality training and continuing education is essential for service providers and employees in the occupations with these requirements.
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AgriLife Extension’s Response
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers numerous educational programs that are recognized by state and industry accreditation authorities for meeting continuing education and certification requirements.
- These programs serve thousands of people who render important community services, enabling them to obtain or keep a job, start a business, or stay in business.
Economic Impacts
The following provides a brief description of selected programs and highlights the number of jobs and the wage base supported in 2015.
- By providing high-quality education to the state’s child care industry, AgriLife Extension’s Child Care Conferences directly support 563 child care businesses and 3,819 jobs. These child care provider businesses represent estimated annual revenues of $226 million and an annual wage base of $77.2 million.
- By conducting the federally designated Pesticide Safety Education Program in Texas, AgriLife Extension directly supports 69,497 pesticide applicators in Texas, with a salary and time value of $941.1 million.
- Through its School of Irrigation and EPA Water Sense programs, AgriLife Extension directly supports over 1,214 jobs in the landscape irrigation industry, with an estimated annual wage base of $29.3 million.
- By delivering quality education to the state’s septic system maintenance providers and to homeowners, the Onsite Wastewater Systems Management program directly supports 43 industry jobs, with an estimated annual wage base of $1.4 million.
- Through education and training, AgriLife Extension’s V. G. Young Institute of County Government directly supports 908 county officials, with an annual salary base of $45 million.
- Through its Food Protection Management Program, AgriLife Extension provides certification training to 3,884 food service managers and other employees, with a collective annual wage base of $84.0 million.
- Through a Teacher Certification Program, AgriLife Extension provides accredited training to 10,860 school employees, with an annual wage base of $627 million.
- By delivering quality education to the state’s ginning managers and hourly employees, the Cotton Ginners Schools directly support 174 ginning jobs, with an estimated annual wage base of $4.0 million.
- Through the Beef Quality Assurance program and training for cattle handlers, AgriLife Extension directly supports 86 cattle feedyard employees, who have an annual wage base of $3.5 million.
- Through the Texas Watershed Steward Program, AgriLife Extension directly supports 184 jobs in Texas, with an estimated annual wage base of $8.7 million.
In total, through its workforce-related continuing education and certification programs, AgriLife Extension directly supports 90,485 jobs in Texas, with an estimated annual wage base of $1.8 billion.
