2019 TWC Award Descriptions

Large Employer of the Year
The Large Employer of the Year award honors one private-sector employer with 500 employees or more. The award focuses on employer excellence and operational results that benefit employers, workers and the local community, and assumes a close partnership with and successful use of Texas workforce system services.

Small Employer of the Year
For the purposes of this award, a small employer is an independently owned business with fewer than 500 employees that has operations based in the Board's local area. This means that a locally owned franchise would qualify as a small employer, if the business has fewer than 500 employees. However, a business that is part of a chain owned and operated by a larger corporation would not qualify as a small employer, and the same is true of a large corporation with a small branch in the workforce area.

Veteran-Friendly Employer of the Year
The award acknowledges the efforts of an employer that has used innovative approaches to recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans in its workforce. The award focuses on results and activities that benefit veteran employers and veteran job seekers.

Local Employer of Excellence
The Local Employer of Excellence award recognizes one private-sector employer whose efforts and initiatives have resulted in a significant positive impact on the local workforce development area, including on other employers, workers and the community.

Adult Education - VR - Board Collaboration Award
The AEL/VR/Board Collaboration Award recognizes the outstanding collaboration and integration between a Local Workforce Development Board and its Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) partners.

Adult Education Employer Partnerships
Recognizes AEL provider efforts in building and/or expanding partnerships between an employer(s) and the AEL program.

Service to Business
This award recognizes innovative approaches to meeting employer needs. The award focuses on results that benefit employers, workers and the community.

Service to Workers
This award recognizes innovative approaches to meeting worker needs. The award focuses on results that benefit workers, employers and the community.

Service to Community
This award recognizes innovative approaches to meeting community needs. The award focuses on results that benefit the community, employers, workers and the state of Texas.

Industry Sector Outreach
The Industry Sector Outreach award honors a Board whose innovative efforts and collaboration had a positive impact on one or more of the following targeted industries: nursing; advanced technology and manufacturing; aerospace and defense; energy; information and computer technology; life sciences and biotechnology; or, petroleum refining and chemical products.

Youth Inspiration & Career Awareness
The Youth Inspiration & Career Awareness Award recognizes three Board initiatives focused on supporting career awareness and exploration for young people.

Texas HireAbility
The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding local HireAbility campaign efforts that have benefited both job candidates with disabilities and employers and to encourage and foster replication of best practices across the state.

Texas Rising Star Child Care
The goals of the award are to recognize outstanding programs and encourage and foster replication of best practices across the state. The Texas Workforce Commission recognizes exemplary child care programs for outstanding performance in quality improvement under the Texas Rising Star program through consumer education, technical assistance and mentoring, and professional development.

Registered Apprenticeship
The Registered Apprenticeship Expansion Award honors a Board that has engaged employers to develop new registered apprenticeship (RA) training programs or to expand the occupations of and/or recruit new apprentices to existing RA programs.