Photo courtesy of Educate Texas
Educate Texas is driven by a belief that all Texans should have the education they need to earn a thriving living wage, find a purposeful career, and realize their big dreams for themselves, their families, and their communities. The continued success of the Texas economy will require better-prepared Texans to fill critical jobs. With increased legislative investments focused on workforce preparedness, Educate Texas is working with school district, college, university, lawmaker, agency, and workforce partners to prepare Texans for careers. Read on to see how they are innovating, developing, and scaling workforce programs across Texas.
Creating Access to Healthcare Professions
In Central Texas, Educate Texas collaborated with Ascension Texas and Workforce Solutions Capital Area to launch a program to give high school students meaningful entry points into healthcare careers through the Catalyze Challenge. Over 200 students from Title I schools gained hands-on training, mentorship, and industry-recognized credentials for the healthcare sector. Many students even moved into part-time clinical roles or continued their education with tuition support and career readiness programs. Efforts are underway to replicate and scale this program with Workforce Solutions, school district, college, and healthcare employer partners statewide.
In the Rio Grande Valley, Educate Texas is partnering with Texas Southmost College and four area ISDs to co-design an Allied Health Academy that aligns the programs available through area ISD CTE and P-TECH programs. The academy will provide a pathway for students to pursue healthcare careers such as nursing, medical laboratory technician, radiological technician, respiratory care, and medical sonography. This program also aims to maximize CCMR Outcomes Bonus for ISDs and Community College Finance (HB8) funding outcomes, thus creating a win-win for ISD and college partners.
Completing Micro-Internships
Educate Texas joined forces with Southern Sector Work-Based Learning Alliance in Dallas County with Lancaster and Cedar Hill ISDs to connect high school students with real-world experience in high-demand fields. Students completed four-week micro-internships with employers aligned to their high school programs of study for CTE or P-TECH programs. In the coming year, plans are to expand the program to additional ISDs in Dallas County and offer year-round work-based learning opportunities with our employer partners in Southern Dallas County.
Preparing Future Educators
In North Texas, Educate Texas is supporting the Acceleration to Credits (A2C) initiative recently profiled by Inside Higher Education. A2C allows high school students to enter the teaching profession with fewer obstacles and greater clarity about degree and certification requirements. By aligning dual-credit and early-college programs like P-TECH with college and university teacher preparation pathways, A2C helps students earn credentials that count—reducing credit loss and strengthening the educator pipeline.
Educate Texas looks forward to continued collaboration with its partners to ensure that each community has the talent needed to thrive. Reach out to Priscilla Aquino-Garza to learn more about their work and share your workforce preparation programs.
