Workforce Update - March 2024

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas Recognized with National Award for Excellence in Chamber of Commerce Partnership

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas proudly announces its selection as the recipient of the prestigious Excellence in Chamber of Commerce Partnership Award by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB).This national recognition celebrates outstanding initiatives by workforce organizations and their partners, highlighting Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas' unwavering dedication to collaboration and partnership with the Dallas Regional Chamber.

North Central Texas Wins $200,000 Grant to Help Teachers Prepare Students for Targeted Occupations

The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded a $200,000 grant to Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (WSNCT) to help more than 150 teachers prepare the next generation for the most needed occupations in the 14-county region.

Growth and Opportunity in Orange County: Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas opens new Orange Center Location

This addition marked a significant milestone in the growth of the Orange County community, providing expanded opportunities for both job seekers and employers.

Ready to Work will subsidize companies of all sizes to train new and existing employees

The San Antonio workforce development program Ready to Work will spend $200 million to subsidize on-the-job training for new skills and for new employees.

Appropriations Recap: Congress Completes Work on FY 24 and Begins Work on FY 25 Appropriations

Last week, lawmakers wrapped up Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 by passing a package of six appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill.

Texas Job Growth Surged in February

Texas’ seasonally adjusted job count increased by 49,800 over the month of February to reach 14,103,700 jobs. This reflects job growth in 44 of the last 46 months and marks the largest total nonfarm monthly job gain since January 2023.

Austin Community Center, city partnering for infrastructure academy to train skilled workforce

Austin Community College (ACC), in partnership with the city, is launching an infrastructure academy to address the growing need for skilled workers.

TWC Now Accepting Grant Applications to Fund Career and Technical Education

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has published a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant program. Texas public junior, state, and technical colleges, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools may apply. 

Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is two House votes away from passing school vouchers

Abbott called on supporters to push through the primary runoffs to deliver the final pro-voucher members needed to pass his legislation, plus some padding.

With new state funds in hand, community colleges waive tuition for some high school students

Community college leaders hope free tuition programs will help change the conversation about the affordability of higher education amid a growing skepticism over the value of a college degree.

Texas Labor Market Growth Continues into 2024

Following annual benchmarking revisions to the 2023 labor market data, Texas’ seasonally adjusted job count increased by 18,900 in January to reach 14,053,400 jobs and achieve growth in 43 of the last 45 months.

Should entrepreneurship skills be a curriculum requirement?

The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship says entrepreneur education should be viewed as a key part of developing students’ career-readiness.

Laredo, Laredo College, Workforce Solutions for South Texas announce Laredo CARES 3.0

The City of Laredo Economic Development Department, in collaboration with Laredo College and Workforce Solutions for South Texas, announced the Laredo CARES 3.0 Workforce Training Program. Funding for this program is provided through allocations through both the City of Laredo and Laredo College. Both entities have committed and pledged up to $750,000 each, for a total of up to $1,500,000 in program funding.

Success Stories

TAWB is always on the lookout for information about innovative programs that can be shared and duplicated by other local workforce boards through the TAWB website. Descriptions may be submitted in narrative form, such as articles and news releases, or through the TAWB Best Practices Form that can be used to provide basic information about your program. Recent features include:

From Crisis to Career: The Inspiring Story of Mark Shaw

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mark Shaw found himself unemployed like hundreds of others across East Texas. From his military experience, Mark was determined to overcome the challenge and find employment. Through Workforce Solutions East Texas, he was introduced to the National Displaced Workers Grant (NDWG) and was placed at CampV as the facility manager.

Qarbon Aerospace Manufacturing Honored as North Central Texas Employer of Excellence

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has announced that Qarbon Aerospace Manufacturing has been selected as the 2023 Employer of Excellence by Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas. This prestigious award recognizes one outstanding employer from each of the state's 28 local workforce development areas for their contributions to the economy, communities, and workforce of Texas.

Blinn College Adult Education and Literacy Program

Funded by the Texas Workforce Commission through the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, the Blinn College program is free to students and includes two tracks. One branch of the program is English as a Second Language (ESL) for English Language Learners and the other is to help students earn their General Education Development (GED) or High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) diploma.

This program found a unique solution to two of Nebraska’s problems: a labor shortage and refugees in need of work

The Lincoln Manufacturing Council, a coalition of 18 manufacturing employers who focus on future workforce development, connects immigrant populations in Nebraska with good-paying jobs, addressing both workforce needs and refugee integration challenges. With free transportation, child care, and incentives, the program aims to bridge language barriers and create pathways to stable employment in the manufacturing sector.

TEDC 2024 Workforce Excellence Award Nominations

The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) is accepting nominations for the 2024 Workforce Excellence Award.

If you have a program or initiative that you feel has contributed to the success of your community's workforce development and talent attraction goals, please consider applying for this prestigious award. The workforce program or initiative is to be for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2023.

Award applications must be received by 5:00 PM CST on April 26th, 2024.

The Workforce Excellence Award program recognizes exceptional contributions by a Texas community or region that has implemented successful workforce initiatives. The award criteria is based on these five objectives:

• Innovativeness

• Transferability

• Community commitment and leverage

• Measured objectives

• Secondary benefits

To learn more about this award and last year's award recipients, click here.

»Link to 2024 Workforce Excellence Award Application

Email your nomination to Amy Swank amy@texasedc.org

Nominations Close April 26, 2024

Research Roundup: Workforce Development in Rural America, New Skills for Youth Initiative and Clean Energy Workforce Demand

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce recently published a report on the challenges and strengths of small-town America. Researchers discovered that working adults in rural America are almost as likely as working adults in urban America to have a good job – an occupation that pays a minimum of $43,000 for workers aged 25-44 and $55,000 for workers aged 45-64.

Working with Legislators: An Advocacy Briefing Guide for Board Members

Learn how to advocate for issues that impact your nonprofit’s work. From how to approach legislators to rules and regulations concerning advocacy, our briefing guide contains helpful information to help you advocate effectively.

Release the untapped potential of your female leaders

Chances are good that you don't need to bring in outside talent to spark better productivity and ideas at work; chances are you already have such employees, and they're women whose abilities have yet to be noticed or tapped, writes leadership coach Joel Garfinkle. To become more competitive and promote from within, look to women by engaging, empowering and leveraging, Garfinkle explains.

Texas Business Today

Texas Business Today is a free online informational newsletter . It covers issues and topics related to Texas employers. TWC’s Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers produces it monthly. 

Conflict of Interest for Nonprofits

Nonprofit boards must understand conflicts of interest and how to address them. Educating board members and having policies and procedures in place are the beginning steps in eliminating bias from decision-making. 

Research Roundup: CTE Student Impacts, Artificial Intelligence and Sector-based Training Programs

A recently published report by the CTE Research Network explored the causal effects of CTE on student outcomes through a systematic review of literature spanning the past 20 years. The report concluded that CTE has a positive impact on student outcomes such as academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills and college readiness in comparison to those who did not take any CTE courses.

C2 Global Professional Services was founded to offer a viable, and now successfully proven, alternative to what is available in terms of service providers. We look for Workforce Investment Board partners to commit to working beyond workforce dogma to improve communities, invest in staff development to achieve exceptional customer service and invest in innovation and technology to improve the system.

iCEV: Since 1984, iCEV has specialized in providing quality CTE curriculum and educational resources. iCEV is the most comprehensive online resource for CTE educators and students, offering curriculum for several major subject areas, including agricultural science, trade & industrial education, business & marketing, career exploration, family & consumer science, health science, law enforcement and STEM education. Additionally, iCEV acts as a certification testing platform for industry certifications. Nationally and internationally recognized companies and organizations utilize iCEV as the testing platform for their certifications. For more information, visit www.icevonline.com.

The Conover Company has been developing tools for over 40 years to help workforce professionals assess and train their clients with the social and emotional skills for success. Their online tools help you stay focused on outcomes by making sure the assessments drive training so it is meaningful for every individual client you serve and you get the results you are looking for.

Equifax/Carahsoft delivers trusted, unique data, analytics, technology, and expertise to drive innovation and transform knowledge into insights. Equifax empowers government agencies, nonprofit organizations, workforce boards and commercial clients to make more informed decisions, maximize program efficiency, and improve the customer experience. Equifax manages The Work Number®, the largest, centralized commercial repository of consolidated employment and income information for use by the private and public sectors. For customers with a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), Equifax enables real-time eligibility decisions by providing verifications of employment and income. Data is updated every pay period (as provided by the employer), so you have access to the most up-to-date information to gauge program success of the individuals who have elected to participate in the program. For more information about the Equifax Products and Services visit the website https://www.carahsoft.com/equifax or contact us at 844.747.6222.

Equus Workforce Solutions: Our dedicated and passionate team of 2,500+ workforce

professionals puts the industry's best practices to work across more than 350 North American locations, assisting approximately 1.9 million job seekers and thousands of employers annually. Together with our partners and collaborators, we work every day to change lives, advance economies, and help communities thrive.

Geographic Solutions is the leading provider of integrated software for state and local workforce agencies in over 35 states and U.S. territories. For 30 years, the company has developed innovative online solutions for job seekers, employers, service providers, and agency staff that enhance service delivery and increase customer satisfaction. Geographic Solutions’ custom software solutions effectively manage all federally-funded partner programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and have been designed specifically to meet the diverse needs of American Job Centers, economic development agencies, human service entities, unemployment agencies, departments of corrections, and educational institutions.

Grant Associates is a national, award-winning workforce development company. Since opening our doors in 1997, we have collaborated with government agencies to develop workforce programs and solutions that create the opportunities that advance job seekers, businesses and local economies, all with exceptional results. At Grant Associates, we know every community's workforce needs are unique. With proven models and in active partnership with government, Grant Associates' mission is to tailor solutions that build workforce capacity, proving over the past two decades that our approach helps a community reach its true potential.

KRA Corporation, a national leader in workforce development for 40+ years, supports workforce boards by delivering WIOA, TANF, SNAP-E&T, and related programs, including initiatives targeting specific employer and jobseeker requirements. A black-owned company, KRA leads efforts to integrate DEI into workforce development. We also lead the industry in delivering a consultative approach to business services, and infuse family-focused principles into everything we do. KRA leverages all available resources, partnering to integrate education, skills development, occupational training, support services, and employment. KRA provides the highest levels of innovative programming, exceptional service, and trusted results for all valued clients, businesses, and jobseekers.

Metrix Learning® is an online learning platform designed to meet the needs of states, workforce boards, and their customers. Learners can assess their job skills, remediate skill gaps, and take over 100 certification training programs to prepare for new employment opportunities. Metrix Learning® offers over 6,000 online courses, career pathways tools, digital badges, gamification, and is integrated with WorkInTexas.

Purpose Co is a workforce consulting firm that specializes in designing and implementing custom workforce solutions and strategies that create sustainable outcomes for people and businesses, including pathways to quality in-demand jobs, economic mobility, competitive businesses and regional economic prosperity, including solutions that address the specific needs of job seekers, workers, employers and practitioners.

QuickStart exists to create world-class technologists by personalizing and individualizing training to address the massive skills gap in the IT industry. Through 20 years of research and data analysis, we’ve learned that a modern learner prefers to learn through multiple modalities such as self-paced online learning, virtual instructor-led training, on-the-job training, implementation and hands-on experience through labs, mentoring, and social and peer-to-peer learning. We packaged all the modalities into a single cloud-based platform called CLIPP.

Texas Economic Development Council: The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) is an Austin-based professional association for economic developers across the state of Texas. We are the largest state association of economic development professionals, volunteers, and elected officials. Our membership consists of over 1,000 individuals, representing more than 630 public and private economic development organizations, including more than 400 communities. Our diverse and expansive membership shares a common goal -- bringing new investment and jobs to Texas by developing strategies that promote a positive business climate in our state.