‘A GRAD WITH A PLAN’: Local Permian High graduate earns first full-time position through ECISD partnership

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Frank Alvarado, a recent Permian High School graduate is entering the workforce earlier than most through a collaboration by multiple entities in the community.

“When I saw the opportunity, I had to jump on it and… it’s paid off for me,” said Alvarado.

The partnership, which includes Ector County ISD, ACCESS, Odessa College, and Workforce Solutions, is working to help high school graduates land their first jobs in the career fields of their choice a lot sooner.

The students then go through an interview process to help multiple employers to find the candidates they need.

Executive Director Mike Mills with ‘ACCESS’ tells ‘ABC BIG 2’ that the program has helped increase in the number of recent graduates to be hired by local companies.

“We have a huge need here. We have more open positions than we have people. We also have about 5,000 students who are graduating throughout the Permian Basin, Midland, Odessa, and surrounding communities and we dare say about 80% of those students who have no clue what they’re doing,” said Mills.

“What ACCESS is about is fine tuning all that. Taking this broad spectrum and bringing it down to a laser-light based on programs of study that we see with our CTE programs at Ector County ISD,” Mills continued.

Alvarado tells ‘ ABC BIG 2’ he is honored to be one of the first students to complete the program and encourages other graduation-bound students – they can do it too.

“Sometimes doors open up and if you think it’s a good opportunity to take it and work up from there,” said Alvarado.

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