COSTEP launches binational higher-ed database to map South Texas and northern Tamaulipas workforce

Higher education leaders in the Rio Grande Valley joined forces with educators from northern Mexico to build a regional database that can be used to attract new industries.

The Binational Higher Education Advisory Council, which spans seven counties in South Texas and 10 municipalities in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico, met Wednesday to discuss how to harvest information about available degrees and certifications. This is important data companies ask for when they assess the Rio South Texas Region for business expansions or new ventures, said Adam Gonzalez, CEO of the Council For South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP), which established the council.

Branded as the Rio South Texas Region, the area includes both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, a region Gonzalez said offers unique economic development opportunities.

“We promote our infrastructure, we promote 19 bi-national bridges and nine airports on both sides (of the border) between Laredo and Brownsville,” he said. “The problem we run into, when we do economic development, is that interested companies are asking us, ‘What schools do you have? What curriculum do they have?’ And we run into the issue that we don’t know.”