The document discusses efforts in Houston, Texas to address workforce gaps and skills shortages. It identifies four main gaps: awareness of middle skills opportunities, lack of basic skills and employability issues, poor coordination among resources, and lack of reliable data on supply and demand. Initiatives discussed include sector councils led by major companies to coordinate industry, education and training efforts. Community colleges are working on fast track training programs and targeted marketing. Business and non-profits are also implementing career awareness and recruitment programs with promising results. Stakeholders are encouraged to get involved through various partnerships, internships, and volunteer opportunities.

2. Preparing Houston to Skill Up
Carolyn Watson, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility
JPMorgan Chase & Co.

3. Houston’s Workforce Gaps
Awareness of middle skills opportunities
Lack of basic skills & employability issues
Poor coordination among resources
Lack of reliable data on supply and demand
A
B
C
D
For a copy of the Task Force plan:
http://www.houston.org/upskillhouston/

4. National Promising Practices
http://gobuildalabama.com/
 Go Build Alabama
 Recipient of the 2014 Construction Users
Roundtable (CURT) Award of Excellence
 Results to date:
 The Alabama Department of Education
reported a 51% increase in first-year
Career and Technical education (CTE) class
enrollments in the 2013-14 school year.
 Out of that group, 33% of CTE students said Go Build
played a direct role in their decision to enter the skilled
trades.
 According to a recent survey, 70% of community college
instructors feel their students entered the program because
of a GoBuild marketing campaign.

5. Houston’s Business Community Responds
GOALS
Raise awareness about middle skill opportunities
Increase access to relevant education and training
Improve coordination among stakeholders
https://www.houston.org/upskillhouston/
FUEL
HOUSTON
BUILD
HOUSTON
SHIP
HOUSTON
HEAL
HOUSTON
POWER
HOUSTON
ENERGIZE
HOUSTON
CREATE
HOUSTON

6. Houston’s Business Community Responds
 Sector Councils
 Petrochemical
• Chaired by ExxonMobil and Shell
 Commercial and Industrial Construction
• Chairs
– Laura Bellows, President and Chairman of the
Board at W.S. Bellows Construction
– Steve Mechler, Division President, Houston,
Balfour Beatty Construction
 Awareness Committee
 Chairs
• Susan McEldoon, President ,General Manager,
KHOU – TV
• David Loving, SVP, General Manager, Houston
Univision
https://www.houston.org/upskillhouston/

7. JPMorgan Chase’s Commitment
 Features
 Five year timeline
 $250 million global initiative
 Results to date:
 Contributed $50 million to nonprofits in
more than 130 cities, counties, regions
and countries across the globe
 Thousands of job seekers have completed
training programs and now are working in
good jobs, earning significantly better pay
than they were making before.
www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/Corporate-Responsibility/new-skills-at-work

8. Houston’s Skills Gap Report

9. Houston’s Skills Gap Report

10. Solution: Sector Councils
 Energize Houston Petrochemical Sector Council
 Led by ExxonMobil and Shell, with partners such as:
• EHCMA
• Economic Alliance
• Baytown/West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation
• San Jacinto College
• Lee College
• Workforce Solutions, and others
 Community College Petrochemical Initiative (“CCPI”)
• Launched by ExxonMobil, led by Lee College
• Covers all 9 community colleges in the region
• An average of 7,000 viewers/month on website for a total 84,000 visitors
– 11,500 click-throughs to date
• 14% increase in enrollment in petrochemical courses over past 2 years
– 18% increase in pipefitting
– 17% increase in welding
– 15% increase in process techs
EnergizeHouston: www.energizehouston.org
ENERGIZE
HOUSTON

11. Solution: Fast Track Training
• Accelerate Lone Star
 Featured programs of study
 Electrician
 HVAC Technician
 Welding
 Automotive Technician
 Results
 83% received certificates
 76% found jobs and/or continued
education
 Accelerate is also offered at Brazosport,
College of the Mainland, Galveston, Houston
Community College, Lee College.
• Other Fast Track approaches are available at
community colleges across the region.
http://www.lonestar.edu/acceleratelonestar.htm

12. Solution: Target Marketing
 San Jacinto College
 Features
• Parent engagement
• Financial presentations
• Multiple touch points with
counselor once enrolled
• Employer presentations by
young and/or female
employees
 Results
• 163 students recruited to
middle skills programs
• 131 persisted to this spring
semester.
http://www.sanjac.edu/

13. Solution: Intensive Career Awareness
 Middle Skills Summer Institutes
 Features
• Academic, technical & soft skills
• Career exploration
• College campus based
• Hands-on
• Parent engagement
 Results
• Attending two institutes places a
student with a 2.0 GPA on the same
college enrollment trajectory as at
student with a 4.0 GPA.
• Increases in students' perceived
ability to complete projects with
precision and accuracy
• Increases in students’ in drive to
embrace and engage in challenging
work
http://www.projectgradhouston.org/

14. Get Involved
 Join the Build Houston Construction Sector
Council
 Led by Laura Bellows and Steve Mechler
• Key support from S&B Engineers and Constructors,
Jacobs, and Marek Brothers Systems.
• Other partners and leaders include: Associated Builders
and Contractors, Associated General Contractors,
Construction Career Collaborative
 Near term priorities
• Development of key construction career profiles for the
high demand occupations
• Creation of an awareness platform
 Contact:
• Peter Beard, SVP, Regional Workforce Development,
GHP, pbeard@houston.org
BUILD HOUSTON
Construction Citizen: http://constructioncitizen.com/crafts

15. Get Involved
 Develop partnership(s) with community college(s)
 Learn about fast track programs for recruiting
 Offer internships, tours, interviews
 Provide scholarship support

16. Get Involved
 Volunteer for Project GRAD’s 2015 Summer
Middle Skills Institute
 Industry partners needed for tours, mock career
fairs, soft skills training and as instructors
 Contact:
• Ann B. Stiles, Executive Director,
abstiles@projectgradhouston.org
 Volunteer for San Jacinto’s Great Jobs program
 Industry partners needed for tours, interviews,
internships
 Contact:
• Ludith Gonzalez, Project Coordinator
Ludith.Gonzalez@sjcd.edu

17. For a copy of the report:
http://www.houston.org/upskillhouston/
Carolyn Watson, VP
Corporate Responsibility
Carolyn.L.Watson@jpmchase.com