By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) hosted its annual State of Talent and Workforce, presented by BGSF and Texas Mutual Insurance, on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, at the Fairmont Dallas. Business and thought leaders convened to hear from experts on workforce development, access, and expansion in the Dallas Region.
“The Dallas Region leads the nation in job growth almost every year, but we still see gaps in the skills that job seekers have versus those that are required for high-paying jobs and careers. The result is that employers have open positions they can’t fill,” said DRC President and CEO Dale Petroskey. “Those workers, especially young adults, often can’t earn a living wage, and that’s just wrong. That’s why these conversations are so important.”
The construction industry is suffering from workforce shortages
There are career paths, such as construction, that need support and investment to address shortages outside of the traditional K-12 to higher education pipeline.
“I think there’s a problem in our country right now with the scope shortage that we have,” said Ray Waddell, Founder and Chairman of CEC Electric. “[Skilled work is] a secondary opportunity for a lot of these folks. And if we don’t change that, there are serious impacts in this country that we’re going to see… We need to understand that our industry pays top-notch wages and there’s a bigger need for these people today than there’s ever been.”
CEC Electric established a university for employees and high school students to be trained in the construction industry and increase learning outcomes.
“The trade and the construction industry aren’t what they used to be,” said Fred McHugh, Dean of CEC University. “It is a safe place, it is a professional environment, [and] it has a lot of career opportunities to grow.”
Companies should partner with workforce solutions firms to help fill their needs
“Our job at the DRC is to connect companies, educational institutions, and job seekers to find innovative solutions to fill these gaps so that our region remains the best place in America to live, work, and do business for all people,” said Petroskey.
In a panel moderated by Will Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of the Dallas Business Journal, panelists discussed what makes a partnership work for everyone involved.
“What makes a great partner is someone who really makes sure that their environment is conducive for that talent that’s coming in,” said Dr. Jasmine Collier, a DFW Market Executive with Year Up United. “You can have a mentor, but you also need someone who’s going to be a sponsor for you when you don’t have a seat at the table.”
Year Up United is a 25-year-old workforce development organization that offers a comprehensive suite of programs for employers and young adults, age 18 to 29, to “close the opportunity divide.”
“We run a number of programs and initiatives to get [young adults] connected to the other side of the divide, which is employers. We know in this region alone there are millions of opportunities for talent that need to be connected to employers like those of you who are in this room.”
Health care also suffers major workforce shortages
Also represented was Uplift Heights Healthcare Institute, a college and career-prep high school in West Dallas focused on in-demand health care jobs, established via a partnership between Baylor Scott & White Health and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“[This community doesn’t] necessarily have access to or knowledge around health care,” said Phil Kendzior, VP of Workforce Development Programs with Baylor Scott & White. “Every single class has a health care element. As an example, when they go into their social studies class, they are learning about globalization and the impact of globalization on things like pandemics.”
Workforce solutions organizations need funding
Phedra Redifer, Executive Director of Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas, shared that funding is the difference between her organization being able to function and having to choose between which services they can provide.
“We are very dependent on federal estate funds and depending on what’s happening in the political environment, those funds can be significantly decreased,” said Redifer. “Unfortunately, that then forces us to change the service delivery to our customers, which means that we will have to serve fewer people.”
There are gaps on both sides of the workforce divide that need to be addressed
In Texas, about 4 million people are looking for jobs. Regardless, it can be hard for employers to fill job openings.
“I’ve got 2,000 openings that I can’t fill,” said Phil Kendzior, VP of Workforce Development Programs with Baylor Scott & White. “It’s because the interests, awareness, or competencies aren’t aligned between those 4 million people and the 2,000 openings that I have. So, I think as employers, that’s our challenge and it’s a calling for us to go out there and build bridges.”
Thank you to our co-presenting sponsors, BGSF and Texas Mutual Insurance. And thank you to our silver sponsors, Bank of America, Dallas College, Forvis Mazars, and Oncor.
To join the next State of Talent & Workforce event, visit our events page.
To learn more about the work the DRC is doing in Talent and Workforce, visit our website.