Los Fresnos News

Adelante Rio Grande LNG!

Thank you, Rio Grande LNG, for working to build a brighter future for the Rio Grande Valley. Not long ago, I attended a Rio Grande LNG event in Harlingen on behalf of the McAllen Careers Institute, a skills training organization focusing on vocational skills such as welding and pipefitting, among others. I was impressed to see Rio Grande LNG reaching out to the community in such a meaningful way and early enough for us to implement the right enhancements to our programs to meet their future needs.

I’ve been following the project since it was announced last year and was impressed with what I found. I was glad to see that Rio Grande LNG is working with local training programs to develop the workforce and is committed to hiring local workers as much as possible. This project will benefit our economy by giving more of our local residents job skills and the opportunity to earn living wages.

As the Career Services Administrator for McAllen Careers Institute, I assist our graduates in their job search in industry-related positions. It’s gratifying to think about thousands of Valley residents applying their skills in good-paying jobs right here in the Rio Grande Valley. Rio Grande LNG will bring an estimated 4,000-6,000 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent jobs.

Since attending the workshop, members of Rio Grande LNG and CB&I have visited our campus, providing valuable insight into our programs and inspiration for our students. We pride ourselves on providing our students with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. This kind of relationship enhances our ability to do just that. We even had several students sign up with CB&I’s recruiter, providing opportunities for them at other projects.

McAllen Careers Institute will be registering with Rio Grande LNG as a vendor and we look forward to being a part of the Rio Grand LNG family! I would ask that our communities come together to support Rio Grande LNG to provide a better way of life for our families in the Rio Grande Valley.

Zelma Almaraz
McAllen

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