Texas Governor Abbott Confirms Over $2 Million for Workforce Training Resources

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced over $2 million in grants to expand access to free educational materials for students in high-demand career programs. The funds, designated for public higher education institutions, aim to reduce student expenses on textbooks and other academic resources.

Nine Texas institutions will receive grants for the 2026-2028 cycle of the Open Educational Resource (OER) Grant Program. These resources will be used to develop, adapt, or redesign courses that exclusively utilize publicly available educational materials. Students can access these resources through the digital repository OERTX, which houses free textbooks and academic content.

The initiative specifically prioritizes support for students in nursing and other workforce training programs. The goal is to ensure that students can complete their education without the financial burden of purchasing required books and materials. The grant period runs from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2028.

Subsidies vary by project and institution, with most allocations around $285,000. Projects focused on nursing education will receive approximately $15,000. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board administers the OER grant program, which is competitive and targets public higher education institutions with faculty leading the projects. An open educational resource is defined as teaching, learning, or research material in the public domain or under a license allowing free use, adaptation, and redistribution.