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Harris County,TX, November 19, 2024 – Against the backdrop of the Wortham Theater, Harris County JudgeLina Hidalgo joined Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, along withPolitical and Communications Director Jay Malone and International Alliance ofTheater Stage Hands (IATSE) Mark Grady to call attention to an important butoften overlooked American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funded County ApprenticeshipAdvantage program.

The Texas GulfCoast Area Labor Federation Apprenticeship Advantage Program, offers a pathwayfor students to join one of 10 three-to-five year union apprenticeships in thebuilding and construction trades, entertainment, and transportation industries.

Monday marked thestart of the 10 ^th annual National Apprenticeship Week, and the Texas Gulf CoastArea Labor Federation offered a week of events to show local elected officialsand community members the training opportunities available to Houston workers.

One of threeevents held today was the IATSE Local 51 Backstage Tour at the Wortham TheatreCenter, where Judge Hidalgo toured the behind-the-scenes operations of TheNutcracker with IATSE Local 51 leadership and apprentices.

Since 2023,Harris County Commissioners Court has invested more than $17 million in ARPAfunding into Harris County’s Apprenticeship Advantage program and in that timehas enrolled over 600 new apprentices.  This program funds apprenticeshipprograms in high-paying, fast-growing jobs of the future like IT, construction,and live entertainment.

For informationon the Apprenticeship Advantageprogram , toview photos from the event, visit here.