The same week Project ARRIBA celebrated its 1,000th graduate, leaders received word that the labor market intermediary won a Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) grant, giving it half a million dollars to train 300 more El Paso Community College students for living wage careers.  EPISO and Border Interfaith, with their sister organizations in the Texas IAF, helped establish the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education grant to support projects that prepare low-income workers to attain degrees and certificates in high demand occupations including nursing and information technology.

According to a 2010 report prepared by the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at the University of Texas at El Paso, Project ARRIBA's work provides a $26 return for every dollar invested.  Graduates of the labor market intermediary "contribute half a billion dollars to the El Paso economy," ARRIBA Executive Director Roman Ortiz said. Texas State Senator Jose Rodriguez called Project ARRIBA, and other Texas IAF labor market intermediaries, "the model workforce capacity job-training economic development program that we have in the state of Texas."

Project ARRIBA Receives $500,000 Grant to Improve Local Workforce, KVIA Channel 7 News

Project ARRIBA Receives $500,000 to Help 300 EPCC Students, El Paso Times

Video of Senator Rodriguez's Remarks, El Paso Times