Growing tomorrow's workforce
Home to both a four-year undergraduate and graduate university, as well as three junior/technical colleges, Sugar Land and its higher educational institutions actively partner with one another, creating a strong workforce for companies and employment opportunities for new graduates.Â
The University of Houston Sugar Land (UHSL) is part of the University of Houston system and came about through countless partnerships to bring higher education to the Fort Bend County area.  Â
UHSL is a Tier One higher education facility, serving students who are pursuing studies in more than 21 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, such as Digital Media, Nursing, Biotechnology, Construction Management, Retailing and Consumer Science, Administration and Supervision, Executive Human Resources Development and more. Among the colleges on Sugar Land’s UH campus is the College of Technology, which was completed in 2019 featuring state-of-the-art classrooms, research labs, a greenhouse area, as well as computer and multimedia laboratories..Â
UHSL actively pursues regional business partnerships with academic programs that are a good fit for the businesses. As an instructional site of the University of Houston, there are five colleges on the Sugar Land campus offering programs and degrees.  UHSL is interested in pursuing industry and community partnerships that support the UH academic and research missions. Â
Among the other colleges in Sugar Land, TX is this transfer-driven campus on UHSL land that offers more than 25 different and very affordable courses. The WCJC/University of Houston System Partnership 2 + 2 Joint Admissions Agreement facilitates the admission of WCJC students to the University of Houston system so that they may continue their studies in four-year programs.Â
Texas State Technical College in Sugar Land’s neighboring community of Rosenberg, only 10 minutes away, provides technical instruction in a partnership with Wharton County Junior College. TSTC helps fill skills gaps and trains workers in programs such as Industrial Systems Technology, Cyber Security, Welding, Robotics, Electrical, HVAC Precision Machining and more.Â
HCC-Southwest is an open-admission, public college in Sugar Land’s neighboring city of Staffordratford, offering a high-quality, affordable education for academic advancement, workforce training, career development and lifelong learning to prepare individuals in our diverse communities for life and work in a global and technological society.  The college offers studies in accounting, allied health, business, bank and finance, communications, the arts, engineering, marketing, pharmacy, various fields of science and medicine and much more.Â
Workforce Training
Sugar Land knows a well-educated and highly skilled workforce is crucial when selecting where to locate your business. Sugar Land already has the highest educational attainment in the region with over 60% of its residents having bachelor’s, graduate or professional degrees. But we are always learning, it’s required in many occupations. If you need to develop a workforce training program there are many resources and Texas workforce training classes available for your company in and around Sugar Land and Fort Bend County.
We are committed to developing a working partnership with your business by assessing and assisting you with your workforce needs.
Texas Skills Development Fund
Employers are always looking to attain the highest level of trained and educated candidates in the area to fill jobs in Sugar Land. To help achieve this, the Texas Skills Development Fund is available. This is the States' premier job–training program providing training dollars for Texas businesses and workers. Administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, success is achieved through collaboration among businesses, public community and technical colleges, local workforce development boards and economic development partners.
The City of Sugar Land Economic Development staff will assist your company with applying for this program and will serve as a liaison between the company, the local college that develops the program and the Texas Workforce Commission which coordinates and oversees the funding.
In just 2019 the Texas Workforce Commission through the Skills Development Fund:
Awarded 38 Skills Development Fund grants totaling $19,239,852
Served 72 Texas businesses
Supported the creation of 3,568 new jobs in Texas
Upgraded the skills of 9,115 workers in existing Texas jobs
There is a Skills for Small Business Program (part of the Texas Workforce Commission) specifically designed to assist the training needs of businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
UH Workforce Development Program
The University of Houston has a Workforce Development program, specifically, under The Center for Life Sciences Technology which is funded by the Texas Workforce Commission. UH provides ongoing training courses for professionals in the life sciences technology field, as well as providing outreach and educational programs for those seeking to enter the field. Additionally, as part of the service to the professional life sciences community, UH offers resources in this section concerning jobs and career development, including an online calendar of seminars and training for biotech professionals, standard job descriptions for those looking to enter the field, actual job listings and a list of biotech companies doing business in Texas. One Sugar Land company that has taken advantage of the University of Houston program is Bluebonnet Nutrition.
Workforce Solutions has a program that assists with On-the-Job Training with a 50% financial reimbursement to the employer for training time. These Texas workforce training classes have helped benefit those looking to upgrade and improve their skills in a tremendous, long-term way.
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) has a branch in Fort Bend County only a short drive from Sugar Land, providing technical training in numerous areas.
If you need help finding the right program for you, contact our Economic Development Team at ecodev@sugarlandtx.gov.