Skills Development

by ddankesreiter@dallaschamber.org

Institutions focusing on enhancing workforce skill sets in Southern Dallas County are ready to work with companies to support their growing talent needs. Skills development, apprenticeships, and access to other training programs for developing highly skilled and productive employees are provided through area community colleges, workforce boards, and other non-profit and quasi-governmental organizations. Wherever a company locates within Southern Dallas County, they will find many resources to help them grow.

Area community colleges can work with companies of all sizes to customize training programs and curriculum to meet their workforce needs. Dallas College includes seven independently accredited campuses, three of which are located in Southern Dallas County — Cedar Valley, Eastfield, and Mountain View. Since 1965, Dallas College has served over three million people, making it one of the largest community college systems in Texas. Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a statewide college system with 10 campuses throughout the state, including the North Texas campus in Red Oak (just south of the Dallas County border), that hosts a 100,000 square foot campus that provides advanced workforce programs and state-of-the-art labs.

Skills Development Fund

The State of Texas Skills Development Fund assists with customized job training. Businesses and trade unions must partner with a community or technical college, the Texas Engineering Extension Service, or a community-based organization working with one of these establishments. Businesses should have a training plan and pay wages that are equal to or greater than current wages in the local market. Grants for a single business may be limited to $500,000. For more information visit –skills.texasworkforce.org

Examples of Skills Development Fund Recipients:

  • A transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing consortium, including FFE Transportation Services, KLLM Transport Services, Lone Star Aerospace, Syncreon
    America, and WNA Cups Illustrated, partnered with Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus to provide job training using a $1,282,202 Skills Development Fund grant in 2018. This grant was used to provide custom training to 859 new and incumbent workers for industry-related topics with focused instruction on transportation & warehousing and manufacturing. Trainees included corporate safety engineers, drivers and help desk technicians
  • Thomson Reuters partnered with Dallas College Brookhaven Campus to provide job training using a $455,400 Skills Development Fund grant in 2018. This grant was used to provide custom training to 245 new and incumbent workers in the IT industry. The newly developed curriculum also benefited other IT businesses in the area, as well as other colleges. Trainees included administrative assistants, website developers, business operations analysts, and project managers.

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas

Southern Dallas County businesses can utilize Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Dallas County’s Workforce Board, to find, hire, train, and retain skilled workers. Workforce offices will work with employers to create customized hiring events, build skills training programs, and provide labor market data, as well as provide child care and transportation services for job seekers. WorkInTexas.com, is the State of Texas free service for job postings and applicant screening. There are four workforce centers in Southern Dallas County.

Opportunity Workforce Center –  (469) 802-1800
1610 S. Malcolm X Blvd., Ste. 201, Dallas, Texas 75226 

Pleasant Grove Workforce Center – (469) 687-3400
1125 S. Buckner Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75217

Redbird Workforce Center – (972)709-5377
3560 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Ste. 110, Dallas, Texas 75237

Grand Prairie Workforce Center – (972)264-5881
801 State Hwy 161 #500, Grand Prairie, TX 75051

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