Happy 2024

Tarrant County!

On February 14th at our Join Board Meeting & Annual Awards Celebration, we will honor and say thank you to our exceptional partners, businesses and special individuals who have contributed to our success over the past year.

We are forever grateful and in awe, of the collaborative nature of our community and the opportunity to work together to ensure the citizens of Tarrant County have all their employment and training needs covered.

We had a lot to be proud of in 2023 so at this month's meeting we will feature a Highlight Reel and Impact Report which helps tell our 2023 story through a series of images and numbers.

In 2024 we will continue our journey to transform and improve our services to benefit the citizens of Tarrant County.

On behalf of the staff, I wish you happy and prosperous 2024!

Phone 📞: 817.413.4000

Email 💻: info@workforcesolutions.net

Live Chat 💬: Via our website, workforcesolutions.net



Sincerely,

Featured in this month's newsletter:

• SEAL Program Open
• Board Member News
• WSTC News
• 2023 WSTC Event Wrap Up & 2024 Plans
• WSTC Impact Report
• WSTC Alerts, Live Chat & Career Exploration

SEAL Program is BACK!

In partnership with Goodwill North Central Texas, the Summer Earn and Learn (SEAL) program creates Pathways to Employment for Students with Disabilities. SEAL is a statewide strategy that includes Work Readiness Training and Paid Internships for students with disabilities. It is offered during the summer months when students are out of school.

We are already recruiting for SEAL check out more information including the latest flyers below.

Board Member, Dr. Di Ann Sanchez was selected as member of the year for the Women's Policy Forum of Tarrant County (picture on the left).

On the right, Dr. Sanchez was asked to speak at the Health Benefits Conference in Clearwater Florida. She spoke about Pay Transparency and Equity.

UTA Mavericks are teaming up to create change in the community! 

Renika Atkins ('17 MSW) is the founder of RISE, a nonprofit that helps young people to succeed and thrive. Fellow alumni Estrus Tucker ('86 BA, Sociology) and Christie Eckler ('09 MSW, '07 BSW), were recently selected as co-chairs for the first RISE fundraising event. 

Did you know that Southeast Fort Worth Inc named an award after our Board Member, Lillie Biggins? At the recent Annual Awards Luncheon, they gave out the Lillie M. Biggins "Advocate for Others Honor." We think this is a perfect representation of who Ms. Biggins is and her caring heart when it comes to our community!

On February 24th Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County hosted the latest in our Connecting Education with Industry series. This time we focused on the Healthcare Industry.

The purpose of the event was t0 provide an opportunity for educators and industry to partner in the advancement of Healthcare career paths for our future workforce.

Judy McDonald, WSTC Executive Director helped kick off the event which had many industry and education professionals in the room. We had over 10+ school districts represented, all eager to take back what they learned to their CTE Program and students.

We started with a Healthcare Industry Panel consisting of:

• Mark Deno, CEO of Medical City North Hills
• Ashley Ridgeway-Washington, Sr. Vice-President & Chief Human Resources Officer at JPS Health Network
• Mark Morales, Chief Talent Officer at Texas Health Resources
• Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, President of UNT Health Science Center Fort Worth
• This panel was moderated by Renee Parker, Industry Services Unit Director with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County.

We wrapped up the event with our Education Panel:

• Dr. LeighAnn Templen, CTE Director at Mansfield ISD
• Susan Darr, Health Science Lead Teacher at Birdville Independent School District
• Kristin Flewelling, Health Science Teacher at Castleberry Independent School District (Former Birdville ISD student)
• Katelin Crain, current health science student at Arlington ISD.
• This panel was moderated by Susan Patterson, Director CTE with Arlington ISD

We received a lot of positive feedback from the group and are eager for another one to be held. Staff are currently working on the Connecting Education with Industry spotlighting the Manufacturing Industry.

Executive Director, Judy McDonald and Business Services Coordinator, Elma Kirkwood attended Southeast Fort Worth, Inc.'s "Vernell Sturns Annual Awards Luncheon." This event is a gathering held to commemorate the achievements of Southeast Partners.

The luncheon was masterfully hosted by Denise Cooke, with esteemed guests including Mayor Mattie Parker and Councilmember District 8 Hon. Chris Nettles.

The event featured insightful enriching conversation by Robert Allen, President & CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, and Aaron Demerson, President & CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation.

Judy McDonald received accolades for the significant contributions of Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County to the economic development programs.

Stacey Marshall, President of Southeast Fort Worth Inc., delivered the concluding remarks, underscoring the importance of collaboration and community engagement in fostering further progress.

January 12, 2024, WSTC attended the Hotel Association of Tarrant County (HATC) Annual Meeting with Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare.

From Left to Right: Executive Director, Judy McDonald, Industry Services Unit Director, Renee Parker and Business Services Coordinator /Texas Live!, Love Kelly represented WSTC at the event.

The group heard an insightful presentation by Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare on the State of the County.

In 2023 we offered both virtual and in-person employment opportunities. A majority of those events were held in-person. Below is a wrap up of our event numbers:

• WSTC Hosted 38 Employment Events
• 6 Virtual
• 32 In-Person
• 3,180 job seekers attended 
• 332 Veterans in attendance
• 464 Employers Participated 
• 15,780 Job Openings were shared
• WSTC participated in over 93 Events in the community

2024 Employment Event plans:

In 2024 we are happy to report that we will continue to offer multiple options for both employers and job seekers to connect. We will be offering a mix of in person and virtual employment events. First lets break down a few of the different types of events you will see us promote:

• WSTC Job Fairs (both In-Person and Virtual): We will continue to have both in-person and virtual job fairs this year. 
• WSTC Hiring Fair Days (in-person at the Workforce Centers): These are scheduled events at our Workforce Centers based on the needs of our employers. We will limit it to 1-2 employers at a time as to allow specialized outreach to our job seekers of the skills the employer is looking for. 
• Other Employment Events hosted by Employers: We are often asked by the amazing employers we work with to share when they are hosting job fairs/career events. We will continue to do that on our social media, noting their positions in WorkInTexas in addition to their career fair information. 
• Neighborhood Strategies Initiative Events: At previous Board meetings you have heard about our Neighborhood strategies initiative. This initiative is designed to effectively bring our services directly to the “most in need” through partnerships with trusted organizations imbedded within these communities. Those targeted areas will be the sites of our first two pilot projects include:
• Northside Zip Codes (76106, 76164) and three Southeast Zip Codes (76104, 76105, 76112).
• Services will be located in the Northside Community Center and the MLK Community Center in partnership with the City of Fort Worth.
• The team is working on targeted job fairs which will highlight the businesses in the defined areas that are hiring. 
• Community Events: WSTC will continue to participate in these events, by having a booth at these events in the Community to share information about our services and upcoming employment events. 

Next here is a sneak peek of the Hiring Events and Job Fair schedule for the first few months of the year (as far as we know it). The events will be placed on the website (if they are not already) as soon as each is confirmed and details secure.

• February 21, 2024: (10am to 12noon): Alliance Workforce Center Hiring Fair Days Event. The event will feature MP MAGNETICS LLC & Western and Southern Life Insurance and is co-hosted by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas.
• April 24, 2024: (10am to 2pm)– Arlington Area Job Fair (in-person) – Hosts include: Rush Creek Church, Arlington ISD, City of Arlington, Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. 
• May 22, 2024: (10am to 2pm) – Continuing the Climb Job Fair (in person) – Hosts include: Cornerstone Assistance Network, Goodwill Industries North Central Texas, Redemption Bridge, Reentry First Stop Center for Tarrant County, Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I.), Unlocking Doors and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County

We are still securing a few additional in-person and virtual events, to include some employer networking events for the rest of the year and will have those to share soon. 

Did you know we offer live chat on our website 💬?

Workforce experts are here to assist you with all your employment and training needs. Want to know when our next workshop is, ask 💬? Have a WorkinTexas.com question, ask 💬 ? Want to know about our upcoming Virtual Job Fair, ask 💬 ? We are here to help Tarrant County!

Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Did you know you can visit any of our five Workforce Centers and try on a pair of Virtual Reality Goggles?

The possibilities are endless, let your curiosity be your guide! Make an appointment and start exploring today: