NCTC chancellor discusses higher education, workforce training at Gainesville luncheon

North Central Texas College Chancellor Dr. G. Brent Wallace spoke to Gainesville business leaders Aug. 19 at the Gainesville Civic Center, in a Knowledge NOW luncheon the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce billed as "The Future of Higher Education: Building Tomorrow's Workforce." The session came as Texas has rewired the way it pays its community colleges, tying the money to student outcomes.

The Chamber's event page said the presentation would take up workforce readiness, economic growth, career pathways and closer ties between schools and industry. The city's calendar listed the luncheon at 311 S. Weaver St. from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and described it as a look at how higher education, workforce development and community partnerships are preparing students for careers here.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board says more jobs in the state now require a credential past a high school diploma, and its plan sets a target of 60% of Texans ages 25 to 64 holding a degree or other credential of value by 2030. House Bill 8 in 2023 and Senate Bill 1786 in 2025 moved community college finance to an outcomes formula tied to workforce needs, the board says, with colleges measured on credentials of value, transfers to four-year universities and dual credit finished by high school students.

NCTC says its career and technical programs and workforce courses can prepare students for immediate employment or for upskilling within a career they already have. The college lists occupational skills awards, Level 1 and Level 2 certificates and associate of applied science degrees, with some certificates finished in as little as a semester. Its continuing education division offers non-credit training, certifications for high-demand jobs, GED and ESL classes. Welding, agriculture, business and computer IT are among the programs NCTC names as built for immediate workforce entry.

The partnership model the Chamber described already has a local test. NCTC announced machining and welding bootcamps with Safran Seats this summer, developed by its continuing education and industrial technology staff with curriculum tied to regional manufacturing needs. The college said the training was meant to support local employers and widen access to technical education.

State money has followed. The coordinating board reported in July that NCTC drew about $168,000 through TRUE Pathways, one of 15 workforce grants to Texas community and technical colleges. A 30-hour year at NCTC runs roughly $3,400 in tuition and fees for in-district students, by the college's own estimate, near what Grayson College and Dallas College charge inside their own districts.

NCTC says Wallace has led the district since August 2014, when he became its 11th president and first chancellor. The Census Bureau put Cooke County's population at 44,461 as of July 1, 2025, up 6.7% from the April 1, 2020 estimates base.

Knowledge NOW luncheons run quarterly at $25 for Chamber members and $35 for others, in the same price range as chamber luncheons in nearby Lewisville. The Chamber lists Nov. 18 as the next date, with North Texas Medical Center scheduled to give a State of the Hospital update. Nov. 17 appears on the Chamber's calendar only as a 2027 date, topic still to be set.