Texas, now the eighth-largest economy in the world, continues to be a job creation powerhouse. The state added nearly 200,000 over the past year. But according to the Dallas Fed’s Economic Outlook, “labor availability” continues to rank as a top concern among Texas businesses. If we want to sustain this major economic growth, we must invest in the workforce readiness of our next generation.
Texas House Bill 120 expands career training by tripling the state’s investment in Pathways in Technology and Early College High Schools. (P-TECHs).
These innovative high schools allow students to earn a diploma and a postsecondary credential. They gain hands-on work experience in high-demand careers like construction.
HB 120 also expands the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership program (R-PEP.) This program allows rural school systems to share career technical facilities and resources with students in neighboring districts. Thus, students aren’t limited by where they live in their pursuit of a specific certification or skill.
Last session’s House Bill 8, signed into law by Gov. Abbott, made a transformational investment in our state’s community college system. Community colleges are a critical part of our workforce development efforts. They award over 95% of all the career and technical education credentials in the state. But graduating high school students can’t benefit from the great workforce-aligned training at community colleges if they don’t know about these opportunities. So HB 120 stipulates investing in advisor programs to connect students to the right opportunities. Advisors will help them apply and obtain financial aid.
Stats show that only 1 in 4 Texas students currently go on to earn a degree or credential six years after high school graduation. That transition out of high school is where most students fall off the path to self-sufficiency.
Half of payroll workers in construction earn more than $60,320. And the top 25% make at least $81,510. In comparison, the U.S. median annual pay is $49,500, while the top quartile makes at least $78,810.
(PER May 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics–OEWS) and analysis by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
