McCoy’s gives $10K, tools to launch Mid-Valley construction academy

McCoy’s Building Supply is putting money and tools behind a new Mid-Valley construction training program designed to build a pipeline of skilled workers for the region.

The company donated $10,000 and construction tools to the South Texas Builders Association to help equip the new South Texas Construction & Innovation Academy, a partnership involving the builders association, South Texas College and the Donna Independent School District.

The academy will introduce high school students to construction careers through hands-on training in Donna, giving students a chance to develop practical skills and learn about opportunities in the industry.

“Having a place where we can bring these opportunities to students in the Mid-Valley means so much to us,” said Israel Medrano, a construction supervision program lecturer at South Texas College. “Donna ISD opening its doors to us, allows us to meet students where they are and give them the chance to discover what they can accomplish.”

Medrano said organizers see the academy as an investment that could extend beyond its first group of students.

“We have an opportunity to build something that will last well beyond us,” he said. “If we leave our footprint today and give these students a strong foundation, the future will be brighter for everyone who follows.”

McCoy’s helps equip the academy

The McCoy’s contribution will be used to provide tools and other resources students can use as they develop construction skills.

“For us, giving back is about more than making a donation, it’s about investing in the people and communities that make our industry strong,” McCoy’s store manager Raul Lopez said in a news release this week. “We want students to have the opportunity to learn, grow and discover a career they can be proud of.”

The program is starting with high school students, but organizers envision a broader role for the academy.

Plans call for eventually opening training opportunities to adults in the community, including evening classes that would allow people who already have jobs to develop construction skills or explore a new career.

That could turn the academy into more than a high school workforce program, creating another entry point into the construction industry for Mid-Valley residents.

A bigger vision for the Mid-Valley

Efrain Gomez Jr., owner of Gomes 3 Construction and a member of the South Texas Builders Association Board of Directors, said the academy is intended to be the beginning of a larger construction workforce effort.

“We’re not just building a program, we’re building a pathway for the future,” Gomez said. “This is the first step, but it is an important one.”

The longer-term goal, he said, is to establish the Mid-Valley as a destination for construction education and workforce development.

“We want the Mid-Valley to become a mecca for construction management, where students and adults can come together, learn the skills they need and find opportunities to build meaningful careers without having to leave their community.”