Houston’s WorkTexas program has been providing hands-on training opportunities to young people and adults since 2020 — helping to prepare them to obtain a number of trade-based jobs.
Although there’s a considerable demand for electricians, welders, and other workers, opportunities to learn those skills as part of a standard K-12 education aren’t as prevalent as they were decades ago, according to WorkTexas Co-Founder Mike Feinberg.
“[People] collectively realized that maybe it was a mistake to stop doing vocational ed in our high schools,” Feinberg says. “As it’s come back, there’s been a push to not have it come back as it used to be; but have it come back better.”
Trade-Centric Learning
WorkTexas’ training sessions — which, through grants and scholarships, are often available at no cost for most participants — last approximately 11 weeks; most require about 170 hours of participation, according to WorkTexas Co-Founder Yazmin Guerra.
The nonprofit organization offers instruction at multiple locations — including Gallery Furniture, a local store, and the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department’s Opportunity Center, where high school students who either have been or are now involved in the justice system can attend courses and also earn a high school degree.
Initially, WorkTexas offered instruction that centered on several trade occupations. Participants can now take courses that involve plumbing, HVAC and building maintenance, commercial truck driving, warehouse management, and other proficiencies. The program is currently in the process of launching a barber program, and recently, masonry and clinical medical assistant instruction were added.
Course content is based on input from area employers — which helps ensure program participants learn relevant skills. The companies WorkTexas has partnered with have also helped it determine what new course offerings to incorporate, Guerra says.
“We start with the employer,” she says. “If the employer is telling us they have a need and will hire a set number of students, we always ask, ‘If we could wave a magic wand, how many people could you hire tomorrow?’ Then we work together to establish a curriculum in a program that works for them and start the outreaching [to fill] that class.
Mike Feinberg on Positioning Participants for Later Success
WorkTexas, Guerra says, thoroughly explains how the program is structured during an initial information session potential participants attend so they’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether or not they can commit to the program parameters.
“WorkTexas makes it very clear that we are going to be intentional about the training and the services we provide,” she says. “We’re going to have these job search preparation workshops; we will have partners come in and provide support, and we expect them to leverage those resources. We will follow up with them for up to five years if needed — because we want to be able to do right by our mission, which is to help people get jobs, keep jobs, and advance in their careers.”
WorkTexas’ focus on maintaining continued contact, according to Mike Feinberg, is a key aspect of the program.
“We’re not just looking at how the students are doing with us this year,” Feinberg says. “We make a commitment to help them not just get the job; we’re interested in what [their situation] looks like, in terms of career contentment — and especially in terms of earning power and creating sustainable lives for themselves, their families, and future generations.”
Published By: Aize Perez
