Angel investor Marion Skinner is breathing new life into vocational training and education. He believes the switch to virtual education opened up a world of possibilities for instructors and institutions to explore new methods and practices. Skinner is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with a keen eye for disruptive startups. He is the visionary businessman responsible for reshaping and rebuilding the education space in the state of Texas. 

Revolutionizing Vocational Training with Texas Advancement Center

Skinner is the founder of an acclaimed career school, the Texas Advancement Center. The institute offers courses in a variety of industries, usually conducted at a faster pace than traditional universities. The school issues certifications in medical billing, coding, barbering, computer IT, HVAC, electrical, medical front office, paralegal, dental assistant, and many more careers. 

With multiple locations and over 150 graduates this year alone, TAC is a fast-growing institution.

In addition, Marion has solidified one of the largest partnerships with the Texas Workforce Commission to Train and Employ, meaning that 80% of students have never had to pay anything out of pocket or take out a loan to attend TAC. 

Under his leadership, Texas Advancement Center has grown into a thriving, multimillion-dollar institution. How did Skinner accomplish this? According to him, “Consistency is the key. If you can get one like, one fan, or one buyer, just stay consistent and watch it grow.”

These are just a few of the feats that earned Skinner the moniker “The King or Education.”

Marion Skinner: A Man of Many Successes

Throughout Skinner’s career, he has overcome considerable adversity to build strong businesses. After starting out in the music production industry, he became aware of the incredible opportunities one could find in the liquor industry. Using his music production education, he managed endorsement deals between big-name recording artists and a startup called Nuvo Liquors. Skinner went on to start his own tequila brand, Espada Tequila, establishing distribution throughout Texas and Atlanta. 

Skinner built Espada into one of the biggest tequila brands in Texas. He recalls the difficulty of accomplishing this goal: “In 2008-09, almost every city was considered a ‘dry area,’ which meant that you could only promote liquor brands at a restaurant, bar, or liquor store. At the time, these were few and far between.” Despite the disadvantageous circumstances, Skinner put in the work, built the #2 tequila brand in Texas, and later sold the company to a private equity group.

Taking Education to New Heights

Skinner is committed to solutions derived from a strong education. He believes that sufficient education is necessary to navigate the difficulties of the pandemic. He claims that education “allows the everyday man and woman to aspire for greatness.” As he explains, “Every man and woman owes it to themselves, their family, and their community to invest time in getting back to the basics of education. Only proper and focused education will pull people out of this economic hole.”

Skinner believes that the future of education will never be the same after the world was forced to go virtual — but with these unprecedented circumstances comes the opportunity to revolutionize the industry. Skinner and Texas Advancement Center are leading the charge to take education to new heights. Skinner is planning to open 10 more TAC locations across 4 states over the next few years.

Learn more about Texas Advancement Center at www.TexasAdvancementCenter.com.