Career-Ready Talent Starts Here
95.7%
Hondo high school graduation rate
#1
R1 University of Texas-San Antonio, Highest Carnegie Classification
20
honors/AP/early college classes at Hondo High School
160,000
students at 16 regional colleges and universities
Hondo Economic Development Corporation is committed to advancing College and Career Readiness by supporting programs that equip students with the academic knowledge, technical skills, and real-world experience necessary for success in today’s workforce. Through strong partnerships with local schools, employers, and higher education institutions, we champion initiatives that connect education to in-demand career pathways—from trades and technology to health sciences and business— ensuring that our future workforce is prepared, competitive, and community-focused. This commitment leads to a more skilled, employable, and future-ready student population, better aligned with the workforce needs of Hondo and surrounding areas. As a result:
- Students graduate with industry-recognized certifications, college credit, or technical training that gives them a head start.
- Local employers benefit from a talent pipeline equipped with relevant skills in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and business.
- Youth retention improves, as more graduates see viable career paths in their hometown.
- Economic growth is sustained through strategic workforce development and reduced skills gaps.
- Partnerships between schools, businesses, and higher ed strengthen, creating a collaborative ecosystem for lifelong learning and opportunity.
South Texas Regional Training Center: Connecting Students and Employers
The South Texas Regional Training Center is Medina County’s workforce development hub. It serves as the local campus for Southwest Texas Junior College and houses Workforce Solutions Alamo, offering employer training, student support, and real-world career connections under one roof.
- Southwest Texas Junior College: STJC’s affordable career pathways offer abundant options including associate’s degrees for transfer and technical certifications for immediate employment, while the College’s Workforce Training and Development Division provides an aligned solution for both initial and on-going skills acquisition that supports the needs of local industry and workers.
- Workforce Solutions-Alamo: As the local office of the Texas Workforce Solutions Network, WSA serves as a one-stop job site, connecting employers with qualified candidates. Importantly, it also works at every level of Hondo’s educational pipeline, from arranging high school student internships to working with STJC and other partners to create custom training programs. WSA also helps employers identify skill gaps and reduces training costs for upskilling current employees through the Texas Skills Enhancement Fund.
Other key players in the training and education ecosystem include:
Available at St. Phillips College in the Alamo College District, FAME’s associate’s degree program in Advanced Manufacturing Technician allows participants to complete 60 college credit hours while they are employed with a local manufacturer. That means student participants graduate with a degree and with two full years of work experience (not to mention two years of competitive wages).
Recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Alamo District has an enrollment of 60,000 students at five Alamo Colleges across the San Antonio region, offering more than 350 degree and certification programs.
The largest university in the area, UTSA is a Carnegie-designated institution of the hightest research rank, putting it in the nation’s upper 4% in categories such as research spending and doctorates awarded. It is also one of only 21 universities in the U.S. to be designated as both R1 and a Hispanic Service Institution, and one of only six R1 universities to boast three National Centers of Academic Excellence.
The fastest growing college in the Texas A&M system, Texas A&M-San Antonio offers 37 undergraduate and 19 graduate degree programs. Seventy-three percent of the student body are first-generation college students, and the University continues to expand access with new initiatives like the Jaguar Promise program providing free tuition, fees and a textbook stipend for eligible students.
Texas Federation of Advance Manufacturing (TX-FAME): Learn and earn.
Available at St. Phillips College in the Alamo College District, FAME’s associate’s degree program in Advanced Manufacturing Technician allows participants to complete 60 college credit hours while they are employed with a local manufacturer. That means student participants graduate with a degree and with two full years of work experience (not to mention two years of competitive wages).
Alamo College District: Recognized quality.
Recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Alamo District has an enrollment of 60,000 students at five Alamo Colleges across the San Antonio region, offering more than 350 degree and certification programs.
University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA): Diversity and excellence in a research and development powerhouse.
The largest university in the area, UTSA is a Carnegie-designated institution of the hightest research rank, putting it in the nation’s upper 4% in categories such as research spending and doctorates awarded. It is also one of only 21 universities in the U.S. to be designated as both R1 and a Hispanic Service Institution, and one of only six R1 universities to boast three National Centers of Academic Excellence.
Texas A&M-San Antonio: Expanding access.
The fastest growing college in the Texas A&M system, Texas A&M-San Antonio offers 37 undergraduate and 19 graduate degree programs. Seventy-three percent of the student body are first-generation college students, and the University continues to expand access with new initiatives like the Jaguar Promise program providing free tuition, fees and a textbook stipend for eligible students.
From high school to higher education, Hondo’s education pipeline delivers real preparation for real careers.