Texas workers need access to training and child care to sustain economic growth, experts say

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With a rapidly expanding economy, Texas leads the nation in job growth, but faces higher unemployment and poverty rates than the U.S. as a whole. The state’s workforce development leaders say connecting employees to training programs, child care services and continuing education are crucial to keeping pace with growth.

Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area, a nonprofit organization that helps Travis County residents find career training and job opportunities, said Texas needs to act fast to prepare workers for the future.

“If our job is to find and prepare and support the workers, we need to recognize the additional thing — the support that they need to be successful in their skill training and on the job,” Atkinson said at a Texas Tribune event Wednesday morning.

“You earn what you learn”

In order to capitalize on Texas’ job growth, panelists said, workers need to obtain necessary skills to enter high-demand industries like manufacturing and construction.

Ray Martinez, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Colleges, a group of 48 schools statewide, said short-term credential courses can provide people with licenses and certifications to enter the workforce.

Martinez said Texas’ passage of House Bill 8, a $683 million investment in community colleges that rewards schools for getting students to obtain credentials for high-demand jobs, will help decrease unemployment.

“What HB 8 does is put an emphasis on the importance of those short-term credentials that lead to licensure or certification for students,” Martinez said. “There’s economic and career value in that.”

Atkinson said she saw a 254% increase in the wages of employees her organization provided with skills training. She stressed that destigmatizing vocational training is essential to workforce development.

“You earn what you learn,” Atkinson said. “That means we are really seeing a need to double down on skills acquisition.”

Increasing access to services

Employees need more than just training and licensing to succeed in the workforce, panelists said. Increased access to services like child care and transportation is also paramount to Texas’ workforce development, they said.

Atkinson and Lynn McBee, workforce development czar for the city of Dallas, said increased state investment in child care is not enough — private sector employers must also provide services.

“It’s a myth that people don’t want to work,” Atkinson said. “They do want to work and they are looking for services, but in order to increase their skills, it's not as simple as connecting them to a community college. We’re hearing people say that what they need is access to child care.”

McBee said that child care and transportation options should be close to rural workers, affordable for low-income workers, and high quality for all workers.

Texas has the 10th-worst poverty rate in the nation, and about 40% of households in Dallas, one of the state’s most populous cities, are low-income. Panelists discussed the need for affordable training programs and child care services accessible to workers statewide.

“When working with people in poverty, you can’t add any more barriers to what you have to do,” McBee said.

Ensuring job retention

Low job retention rates contribute to high unemployment in Texas. Panelists said ongoing support for employees can help them maintain jobs.

Through free continuing education programs provided by employers and community colleges, workers can keep up with fast-paced change across industries, they said. Mentorship programs also ensure employees feel supported during transitions into the workforce and between jobs, panelists said.

“[When we] help someone get a job while they are also building their skills — that’s the secret sauce,” Atkinson said.

Disclosure: Texas Association of Community Colleges has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.