In Houston’s bustling employment market, a unique approach to workforce development is gaining traction. WorkTexas, launched in 2020, has flipped the traditional trade school model by putting employers at the center of their educational strategy.

“We are employer-focused,” says Mike Feinberg, co-founder of WorkTexas. “Our mission to help people get jobs, keep jobs, advancement careers by definition – we don’t use the word training in our purpose or mission statement. We do train, but it means that the end.”

Beyond Certification

Unlike traditional trade schools that primarily track certification rates, WorkTexas measures success through employment outcomes and career advancement. Feinberg points out a common issue with conventional programs: “You go to community colleges, you go to these trade schools that you see the billboards on the highways and ask them, ‘Are you successful?’ And they say, ‘Sure, we’re successful.’ I said, ‘Well, how do you know you’re doing a good job?’ And they say, ‘Well, 97.8% of all of our students earn a certificate.'”

The program takes a different approach, maintaining contact with graduates for five years to track their career progression and provide ongoing support. This long-term commitment has helped achieve impressive results – 70% of alumni have secured new positions or advanced in their current roles, with average initial wages of $19.10 per hour.

Feinberg’s Comprehensive Support Model

Understanding that employment success often depends on factors beyond technical skills, WorkTexas has developed what Feinberg calls a “sandbox” of support services. Through partnerships with local organizations, the program helps address various needs, from childcare to transportation.

“You’re not going to do well in your job if you’re homeless or hungry, or your car stops working or there’s social service needs for your kids or there’s physical health issues or mental health issues,” Feinberg explains. “We need all those different supports to exist, but we can’t do them all because no one can be good in all those things.”

The program offers training in various high-demand fields, including welding, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC maintenance, and commercial truck driving. Through grants and scholarships, most participants can attend the 11-week training sessions at no cost.

WorkTexas’s employer-focused approach extends to curriculum development, with input from more than 148 partner companies ensuring that students learn relevant, in-demand skills. However, technical training represents only part of the program’s focus.

“The technical skills are about 30% of what the employers want,” Feinberg notes. “The other 70% all say the exact same thing: ‘We need more welders who can lay a bead, electricians who can bend conduit – but what we really need is people who get to work on time; people who can work on a team.'”

This comprehensive approach to workforce development, combining technical training, soft skills development, and wraparound support services, represents a new model for addressing both employer needs and worker success in Houston’s growing trades sector.