WorkTexas co-founder Mike Feinberg says that 30 years ago, numerous high school students felt if they wanted to be successful, they had to go to college.
At the time, obtaining a four-year degree cost significantly less — roughly $1,888 a year at a public university and $9,083 at a private school, compared to the $9,349 annual expense to attend a public college and $32,768 private universities charged in the 2019-2020 school year, according to the Education Data Initiative.
Between 1980 and 2020, the average cost of an undergraduate education, including tuition, fees, room, and board, rose 169%, reports the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
“[Schools] pushed the cost up so much that it went from a car loan to [a] home mortgage,” Feinberg says. “If you want to be a petroleum engineer, and that’s what you’re passionate to do, go to college, you’re going to do just fine. But how are you going to pay your loan back as a political scientist?”
WorkTexas and Trade-Based Training
While two-year programs can potentially involve less of an expense, Mike Feinberg says completing one may not automatically lead to employment.
“You go up to community colleges or trade schools that have their billboards on the highways and ask them, ‘Are you successful? How do you know you’re doing a good job?’” he notes. “And they say, ‘Well, 97.8% of our students earn a certificate.’ “ And that answer begs the question, ‘How many of those people got jobs?’ They don’t know.”
To address the need for alternative instruction, Feinberg co-founded WorkTexas in 2020.
The free Houston-based program helps students learn the specific skills needed for employment as an electrician, plumber, welder, medical assistant, building maintenance, and other jobs while simultaneously earning a high school degree. Adults who do not need or want a high school degree can also take these courses to help get new or better jobs.
More than 100 employers in various industries contributed input to help shape the curriculum. Many have hired graduates from the program.
“The cornerstone of what makes WorkTexas unique is that we are employer-focused,” Feinberg shares. “Our mission is to help people get jobs, keep jobs, and advance in careers.”
In addition to preparing participants to perform specific job-related tasks, the nonprofit program’s instruction touches on proficiencies companies have mentioned are needed to succeed in their field.
“The technical skills are about 30% of what the employers want as they share with us,” Feinberg says. “The other 70% is the exact same thing with every employer partner we have: ‘We need more welders who can lay a bead, electricians who can bend conduit — but what we really need are people who get to work on time; people who communicate when there is an issue; people who can work on a team.’ We’re teaching soft skills as well.”
For at least five years after participants complete the program, the WorkTexas staff stays in touch to support as needed and gauge its effect on their earning power, level of career satisfaction, and other aspects of their lives.
Feinberg hopes to eventually expand the program to provide instruction in other locations.
“There’s a reason why we named this WorkTexas,” he says. “Eventually, this is going to grow outside Houston. We’re trying to make sure we walk before we run and [are] doing this correctly.”
