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 2017.
- By providing high-quality education to the state’s child care industry, AgriLife Extension’s Child Care Conferences directly support 486 child care businesses and 1,934 jobs. These child care provider businesses represent estimated annual revenues of $270.2 million and an annual wage base of $41.7 million.
- By conducting the federally designated Pesticide Safety Education Program in Texas, AgriLife Extension directly supports 65,417 pesticide applicators in Texas, with a salary and time value of $955.1 million.
- Through its School of Irrigation, EPA Water Sense and other programs, AgriLife Extension directly supports over 1,110 jobs in the landscape irrigation industry, with an estimated annual wage base of $30 million.
- By providing required education and training, AgriLife Extension’s V. G. Young Institute of County Government directly supports 721 county officials, with an annual salary base of $47.7 million.
- By delivering quality education to the state’s ginning managers and hourly employees, the Cotton Ginners Schools directly supports 97 ginning jobs, with an estimated annual wage base of $2.5 million.
- By providing certification training through its Food Protection Management Program, AgriLife Extension supports 8,854 food service managers and other employees, with a collective annual wage base of $214 million.
- Job training and continuing education through Beef Quality Assurance trainings, Feedyard Camp, and the Feedyard Technician Program support 218 Texas jobs, with an annual wage base of $7.7 million.
- By providing required training through the Texas Watershed Steward Program, AgriLife Extension directly supports 319 jobs in Texas, with an estimated annual wage base of $12.9 million.
- By delivering continuing education to tax practitioners, the Tax Practitioner Workshops directly support 2,028 tax jobs, with an estimated annual wage base of $135.9 million.
In total, through its workforce-related continuing education and certification programs, AgriLife Extension directly supports 80,707 jobs in Texas, with an estimated annual wage base of $1.4 billion.
