Dallas Thrives, Dallas Regional Chamber, and Commit Partnership launch initiative to increase health care/technology jobs in DFW

Dallas Thrives is on a mission: strengthen the talent pipeline in the Dallas Region’s most in-demand sectors in the labor market — health care and technology.

Through a multifaceted marketing campaign, the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) will recruit students, recent graduates, and job seekers for health care and technology jobs in the Dallas Region. The campaign, launched under the DRC’s Say Yes to Dallas website, offers health care and tech job postings, free and low-cost training programs, and options for tuition reimbursement.

This jobs initiative is sponsored by Amazon and Bank of America. Dallas Thrives, first launched in November 2020 by The Commit Partnership and the DRC, is a multi-year strategy that aims to double the number of young adults earning a living wage of $50,000 a year by 2040.

“We have thousands of unfilled job openings, jobs that can provide meaningful, living-wage jobs and careers for young adults in the Dallas Region,” said Jarrad Toussant, Education and Workforce Senior Vice President at the DRC. “Heath care jobs, which project a 10% job growth over the next four years, remain in demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and tech jobs are expected to grow 12% during the same time. By focusing on better-paying jobs requiring higher skills in the health care/tech space, we can bolster our region’s economy, and we cement our future talent pipeline by showing our Dallas young adults how rewarding these occupations can be.”

The Commit Partnership, with 200-plus partners across Dallas County and the state of Texas, helps cultivate a collaborative educational ecosystem across school systems, higher education institutions, nonprofits, employers, workforce agencies and city, county, and state governments.

“There’s a growing commitment from our school district partners to own their role in ensuring students are as well prepared as possible to access and complete a post-secondary education aligned with high-demand jobs,” said Todd Williams, Commit Partnership’s CEO. “Awareness of which jobs are in-demand and what they pay is critical to that mission, and this investment by our generous sponsors, Amazon and Bank of America, is making that possible.”

Williams added other in-demand industries are on the horizon for the Dallas Thrives campaign, including education.

The current average annual health care salary is $58,000. Tech professionals currently average $97,000 per year.

“The Dallas Region is one of the hottest tech markets in the U.S.” said Vickie Yakunin, Head of Community Affairs at Amazon in North Texas. “Amazon is always looking for passionate, customer-obsessed people from diverse backgrounds to help us build the future, and this initiative with Commit and the DRC will help build talent pipelines and career opportunities right here in Dallas.”

Say Yes to Dallas, first launched in 2017, is DRC’s initiative to attract top talent to the Dallas Region.

“Our goal is to generate economic mobility in our communities,” said Jennifer Chandler, Dallas President at Bank of America. “Programs such as Dallas Thrives will help achieve that goal by bringing together the right employers, educators, and thought leaders to create pathways and other unique solutions for the region’s future workforce. We are committed to connecting individuals to jobs that move local economies forward. Our community partnerships build on our long-standing focus on workforce development — including alternative pathways, youth employment, and helping individuals obtain second chances for employment.”

About the Dallas Regional Chamber

The Dallas Regional Chamber is one of the most established business organizations in the nation and serves as the voice of business and the champion of economic development and growth in the Dallas Region. We work with our member companies and regional partners to strengthen our business community by advocating for pro-growth public policies, improving our educational system, attracting talented workers from around the world, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and enhancing the quality of life for all. Our goal is to make the Dallas Region the best place in the United States for all people to live, work, and do business. For more information, please contact the DRC at 214.746.6600 or visit www.dallaschamber.org.