(WACO) – Leaders from Texas State Technical College, the Texas Workforce Commission and Mars Chocolate North America gathered Tuesday to commemorate a $92,203 Skills Development Fund grant aimed at improving workers’ skills at the candy manufacturer’s Waco factory.

“What Texas State Technical College provides to the community is one of the greatest tools with regard to our economic development,” said Seth Morris, vice president for economic development at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce.

The grant will create six new jobs and provide technical training to more than 90 workers to better their skills for using fasteners, lubricants, components, valves and hand tools. The first training led by TSTC faculty members was in late April. The grant’s regional impact is expected to be more than $765,000, according to the state workforce commission.

TSTC in Waco Provost Adam Hutchison said the grant symbolized some of the best collaboration that can be done in the city to further develop the workforce.

Gary Mueller, training manager for Mars Chocolate in Waco, said staff were appreciative of the opportunity to grow the company in manpower and knowledge.

The grant builds on the progress that Waco and the state have made in economic development.

TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs said Waco currently has a 4.3 percent unemployment rate, while the state unemployment rate is 5 percent. Waco’s unemployment rate is on par with the Abilene, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan areas and is less than unemployment in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-Harlingen, Corpus Christi and McAllen-Mission-Edinburg metropolitan areas.

Hughs said CEO Magazine has named Texas the best state to do business in for the 13th consecutive year.

“The Skills Development Fund is the premier job training program with custom training and promoting employees in getting marketable skills,” Hughs said.

Mars Chocolate North America on Texas Central Parkway in Waco has more than 550 employees making the popular candies Skittles, Starburst and variations of Snickers.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.