Thank You, Workforce Solutions East Texas Board!

We appreciate the Workforce Solutions East Texas Board for their strategic leadership and dedication to strengthening our regional workforce. At the March 13th meeting, board members took important actions to support economic growth, workforce development, and early education services.

Your commitment to building a premier workforce, expanding industry partnerships, and increasing opportunities for all makes a lasting impact on East Texas. Thank you for your service and vision!

Celebrating the Success of Career Expos in

East Texas

The months of February and March brought exciting and impactful opportunities for students across East Texas as two major career expos took place in Marshall and Mineola, TX. These events provided invaluable career exploration and professional development for hundreds of local students, as well as a chance for businesses to connect with future talent. Unlike a job fair, the focus of a career expo or exploration fair is to educate students about different career options, the skills needed to enter into the industries, and connections to pathways to employment in the future. Both events were celebrated as resounding successes, underscoring the region's commitment to developing a skilled workforce and fostering community engagement.

Marshall Career Expo: Imagine Your Future

The Marshall ISD Career Expo kicked off the series of career events with an exciting bang, drawing around 900 students from Marshall ISD and several surrounding school districts. This year’s theme, “Imagine Your Future,” set the tone for an inspiring and forward-thinking event that encouraged students to dream big about their career possibilities. With nearly 40 local employers participating, the expo was a vibrant celebration of future opportunities, filled with energy and enthusiasm.

Co-sponsored by the Marshall Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Workforce Solutions East Texas, the expo was not just an event but a launchpad for students to explore a world of careers across various industries, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and more. Local employers shared invaluable insights, introduced students to exciting internships, and showcased the pathways that could lead to successful careers right here in East Texas. "This event is all about awareness. It's about showing what these jobs do," states Rush Harris, Director of the Marshall EDC. "We brought in Workforce Solutions East Texas, a huge partner, and we could not do this without them."

Students were energized by the chance to meet with recruiters, explore hands-on exhibits, and ask questions about what it takes to thrive in today’s workforce. “Imagine Your Future” was more than just a theme—it was a call to action for students to envision themselves in careers that match their skills and passions and to see just how many exciting opportunities await them in the region.

Mineola's Jobs Y’all East Texas Career Exploration Fair: A Groundbreaking Event for Students and Employers

The Jobs Y’all East Texas Career Exploration Fair, held at Mineola High School, was nothing short of a game-changer for students in East Texas! With several hundred students from surrounding school districts in attendance, the event was a dynamic and hands-on exploration of career possibilities, made even more exciting by the debut use of virtual reality (VR) headsets. This innovative addition, introduced by Workforce Solutions East Texas, allowed students to take a thrilling, immersive "sneak peek" into a wide range of careers, offering a cutting-edge way to explore industries and occupations like never before.

Local employers were the stars of the event, each bringing their passion and expertise to the table, ready to engage with students in meaningful conversations about their industries. From healthcare to technology, manufacturing to finance, employers shared invaluable insights into what it takes to succeed in today’s fast-paced workforce. They connected with students on a personal level, offering career advice, internship opportunities and answering questions that helped students understand how to navigate their educational paths and future careers.

This innovative approach to career exploration left students with a lasting takeaway: the importance of understanding the vast array of career options available to them and the critical role that emerging technologies like VR can play in shaping their futures. By offering this unique experience, Workforce Solutions East Texas opened students' eyes to the possibilities that lie ahead, empowering them to imagine their future careers in an entirely new way. The Job Y’all East Texas Career Exploration Fair was an unforgettable event that highlighted the power of hands-on learning, employer engagement, and cutting-edge technology in shaping the future workforce of East Texas.

Celebrate the Week of the Young Child

Mark your calendars! The 2025 Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is happening April 5–11! Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this annual celebration highlights the importance of early learning and the critical role educators, families, and communities play in supporting young children.

Join us as we:

✅ Recognize the impact of early childhood education

✅ Support young children and their families

✅ Promote positive learning environments

✅ Recommit to ensuring all children have access to high-quality early learning experiences

Let’s work together to build a strong foundation for our youngest learners!

Recognizing Our Child Care Services Provider Payment Team’s Dedication

At our recent Board of Directors meeting, we proudly recognized our outstanding Child Care Services Provider Payment Team for their hard work, dedication, and professionalism in tackling the challenges with the new TX3C database.

Since January 13th, this incredible team has worked over 270 ADDITIONAL overtime hours to ensure all provider payments were processed. Thank you for your relentless effort—we’re so grateful to have you on our team!

Texas Labor Market Expansion Continues Into 2025

The Texas labor market achieved new record highs for both jobs and the civilian labor force in January. The state added 27,900 positions over the month, reaching a total of 14,236,400 nonfarm jobs. Texas added 187,700 jobs from January 2024 to January 2025, bringing the annual nonfarm growth rate to 1.3 percent.

January marks 55 of 57 months of growth for Texas’ civilian labor force, which achieved another new record high of 15,750,800 after adding 23,100 people over the month. Over the year, Texas’ civilian labor force has added 351,200 people.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Texas registered at 4.1 percent. Within the East Texas region, Tyler's rate is 3.9 percent, and Longview's is 4.9 percent.

“With more than 187,000 jobs added over the year, Texas’ continued growth shows the strength of the Texas economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “Our commitment to a skilled workforce is essential to the state’s continued economic success.”