Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced Tuesday that Texas State Technical College has been awarded a grant for welding technician training.

The grant in the amount of $278,712 will be used by TSTC to construct a mobile training welding lab, according to TSTC Associate Vice President of Enrollment Brian Kight.

“Essentially it’s an 18-wheeler that we can move from place to place to provide welding training,” Kight said.

According to Kight, the mobile welding lab will be ready for use in 2 to 3 months.

Ten other schools across the state were also awarded grants by the State Comptroller’s office.

The grants are distributed through the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) program, which promotes career and technical training and has been administered by the Comptroller’s office since 2009.

“There are critical jobs that need to be filled as soon as possible,” Combs said. “These grants will help students move one step closer to employment in fields that are very important to Texas’ diverse economy.”

Since 2009, community colleges and technical institutes have been awarded $16 million to buy career training equipment.