Sunday, November 19, 2000

Trips build excitement for college

Will Texas have the workforce it needs to fill the higher-skill jobs expected to materialize in the state over the next few decades or will it have to recruit the talent elsewhere?
   Much of that depends on Texas minorities, particularly blacks and Hispanics who continue to be underrepresented at universities and colleges, and whether they start believing that quality education is something they can make happen.
   The good news is that there are efforts under way to grow our skilled workforce. One local program is doing its part to encourage high school students to see college as the best investment they can make.
   Bottom-line message: Their future is Texas' future.
   On the road
   On Saturday, participants of Upward Bound took to the road, visiting Our Lady of the Lake and Trinity universities in San Antonio as part of a six-week initiative to acquaint them with some of Texas' major universities. Another program component familiarizes them with Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
   "These kids have done all the research they can on the Internet," said Herminio Ibañez, director of Upward Bound, a college preparatory program partly funded by the U.S. Department of Education and hosted by A&M-Corpus Christi. "They've looked at the admission standards, what they can afford, what their families can afford. Now it's time to start kicking the tires."
   The program, which began last year, recruits those who meet income guidelines and are potential first-generation college students. It recruits for education, not for a particular institution. Its services include tutoring, academic advising and workshops on topics from college admission tests to financial aid.
   Pushing for a degree
   Melanie Salinas, 17, a Ray High School junior, said the campus visits are a small albeit significant step toward realizing her goal, one she considered scrapping until joining Upward Bound last year.
   "It made me realize that you shouldn't rule (college) out just because you don't have money," Melanie said. "It's helped finding others that worried about the same issues. And in a way, it's helping push me to go after that college degree."
   In the next 10 years, one-quarter of the state's new jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor market analysts with the Texas Workforce Commission project some of the new jobs created in the next eight years include: