Educational Meets Economic Direction
Building a Statewide Blueprint for Career Readiness in Texas
Across the country, public education is being asked to do more than graduate students with diplomas. School systems are under increasing pressure to ensure that when students cross the stage at 18, they are prepared for what comes next—whether that path leads to higher education, the military, skilled trades, or immediate employment.
In Texas, that shift has gained momentum over the past decade, fueled by rapid technological change, persistent workforce shortages, and a growing demand for more direct alignment between education outcomes and real-world labor market needs.
At the center of that effort is a growing coalition of education and business leaders working to build what they describe as a statewide framework for career readiness—one designed to move Texas from “pockets of excellence” to a consistent standard of excellence across regions, district sizes, and economic sectors.
A Coalition Formed to Close the Readiness Gap
For Dr. Brian Woods, Deputy Executive Director of Advocacy for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the mission is personal. Before stepping into his current advocacy role, Woods spent decades in public education—including 11 years as superintendent of a large district in the San Antonio area. The question that kept surfacing, he says, was not whether students were graduating—but whether they were truly prepared.
“We struggled to feel good about the fact that when students left us at 18, they crossed the stage, they got their diploma, that they were all ready for what their next step was,” he explains. “And I’m not alone in that.”
That concern helped catalyze the formation of the Workforce Education Collaborative, a roughly 45-member group of educators and business leaders working side-by-side to develop a scalable, statewide approach to career preparation. The ambition is not to replace existing local programs—many of which are highly effective—but to build a framework that supports districts across the spectrum, from rural communities to fast-growth urban systems.
Balancing College Prep and Career Prep
Texas has long wrestled with a fundamental policy question: how much weight should schools place on advanced academic pathways versus career preparation? According to Woods, the state has moved toward a better balance over the last decade, including improved funding for career and technical education—an important shift given that many workforce-aligned courses are more expensive to deliver.
Still, the Debate is Far from Settled.
“There’s been quite a push-pull in Texas about what skills students ought to have when they graduate,” Woods says. “That push-pull continues in our state, but I think within the last decade, we’ve really moved more towards the opportunity for career preparation.”
Even with that progress, the collaborative believes Texas still lacks a statewide system capable of ensuring that every student—regardless of zip code—has meaningful access to career readiness pathways.
Dual Enrollment and Industry Certifications Gain Momentum
From the school district perspective, the rise of dual enrollment and industry-based certifications is part of a broader shift toward giving students more than one “exit point” upon graduation.
Dr. Nicole Poenitsch, Superintendent of Bellville ISD, says districts are increasingly working to create pathways where students can pursue advanced academics while also earning workforce credentials along the way.
“We’re seeing a lot of districts trying to provide multiple exit points for students,” she explains.“Even if they are pursuing advanced academics, having an opportunity to get an industry-based certification along the way.”
But what excites Poenitsch most is not just the growth in programs—it’s the possibility of getting ahead of workforce change instead of constantly playing catch-up.
“In education, where we live is: okay, we saw a shift in industry—how do we now prepare kids for what just happened,” she says. “But too often that’s too late. We’re trying to work to have this connected, collaborative conversation where industry sees what’s on the horizon and educational leaders can prepare students ahead of time.”
Making Collaboration Practical for Businesses
From the business side, the collaborative is equally focused on feasibility. Traditional co-op models and internships can be powerful, but not every employer can absorb an unlimited number of students—or sustain structured programs year-round.
That is why the group is also discussing more scalable options: in-class business engagement, online mentoring, virtual career sessions, and structured ways for employers to “plug in” without creating a heavy operational burden.
“Businesses would be more than happy and more than willing to help students in the classroom,” says Pam Nemec, CEO of Pam Nemec Consulting. “But we’ve got to figure out how we can make that more systematic so that businesses can easily plug in to what schools need.”
The goal is to reduce friction and build consistency. In Nemec’s view, employers want to participate—but the state needs a system that makes collaboration simpler, repeatable, and aligned with what schools are actually held accountable for.
Regionalizing Workforce Readiness Across a Massive State
Texas’ scale and economic diversity create another reality: workforce needs differ significantly by region. What students need in the Panhandle can look very different than what employers require in the Valley, the metro corridors, or high-growth suburban zones.
Woods says the collaborative’s intent is to create a statewide framework that can be customized locally—strong enough to provide structure, but flexible enough to reflect regional industry.
“We’re hoping our work will be regionalized,” he explains. “Texas is a very large state. Workforce needs in the Panhandle are very different than they are in the far south Valley, very different than they are in the metro areas.”
At the same time, the collaborative is wary of building pathways that are too narrow. The aim is to prepare students for local opportunity while still supporting mobility across industries and geographies.
Systems First: Equity Through Capacity
When the conversation turns to inclusion and equal opportunity, Poenitsch emphasizes that the collaborative’s current focus is at the systems level—building a framework that districts of all sizes can actually implement.
“There is such variance in districts and size and capacity,” she explains. “The work of our collaboration is really that systems aspect of how you create an actionable framework… in a district that’s midsize and rural, as well as urban or suburban and fast growth.”
In other words, equity in this context begins with capacity: ensuring every district understands how to engage industry partners and build pathways—regardless of staffing, geography, or local resources.
Modernizing Accountability and Aligning Incentives
While advocacy is not the collaborative’s first deliverable, it is expected to become a major component once the statewide framework is complete. Woods points to a core structural challenge: Texas grades high schools A through F, and workforce readiness is included—but the current model is outdated and overly one-size-fits-all.
“It needs to be modernized,” Woods says. “It needs to change. It needs to be regionalized. We have a one size fits all statewide system that does not recognize the size of the district, what part of the state you’re in, or the industry needs.”
He adds that the system also struggles to adapt quickly, at a time when workforce needs are shifting faster than ever—particularly under the influence of AI and emerging technology.
Once the framework is finalized, the group plans to compare it against existing state policy, conduct a gap analysis, and identify what changes are needed to better incentivize schools to produce work-ready graduates.
“What I am hoping is that this is an opportunity for educators and workforce leaders to be on the same page around some state policy changes,” Woods says—an alignment that could make reforms more achievable.
The Public Narrative—and the Business Role in Advocacy
Nemec believes the advocacy conversation must extend beyond policy and into public understanding. In her view, school leaders are often battling public narratives that don’t reflect the complexity of what districts are facing—or the effort educators are making to serve students.
“There needs to be an entire communication campaign around what needs to change,” she says. “There’s a lot of chatter online… and what I’m learning by sitting with superintendents and teachers is that’s not necessarily true.”
She argues that employers have a responsibility to step into that gap—not only by advising schools on workforce needs, but by advocating publicly and politically for an accountability system that matches the outcomes business and industry are demanding.
“The goals set at the state level need to be in line with what the workforce actually needs,” she says. “Right now it’s in conflict.”
Entrepreneurship as a New Workforce Pathway
The collaborative is also tracking a growing trend among students: many are no longer motivated solely by traditional employment pathways. Increasingly, they see entrepreneurship—often online—as a viable option right out of high school.
“Some of those students have decided they want to be entrepreneurs,” Nemec notes. “They don’t want to… and whether we agree that’s the best idea or not, if that’s what they want to do, how are we preparing them?”
That includes understanding what students are learning online, what narratives are shaping their expectations, and how schools and industry can provide guidance that meets students where they are—without ignoring the realities of financial literacy, business ownership, or buying into existing trades and services businesses as older owners exit the workforce.
Reaffirming the Value of Public Schools as a Public Good
Woods closes the discussion by zooming out. For him, the career readiness conversation is inseparable from a broader societal question: what role should public schools play, and what are we truly incentivizing them to do?
“In this country, we’ve come to question the notion of public goods, and that includes the value that public schools add,” he says. “Schools should prepare citizens as well as prepare workers—and those goals do come into conflict.”
His hope is that Texas can strike a more practical balance: ensuring students receive strong foundational academics while removing measurement systems that reward “dubious value” at the expense of skills needed for the majority of students’ adult lives.
“The goal of this group is to better balance that,” Woods says. “So students are better prepared for the workforce, and workforce leaders are more pleased with what they’re getting out of our public schools.”
A Framework Built for Scale—and Built for Speed
What emerges from the Workforce Education Collaborative is not simply a committee conversation. It is an attempt to design a statewide blueprint for the future of work—one that can scale across Texas, adapt to regional realities, incorporate employer engagement in practical ways, and modernize the incentives that drive school decision-making.
In a labor market being reshaped by technology, workforce shortages, and rapidly shifting career expectations, the collaborative’s message is clear: this is no longer a “someday” initiative.
As Nemec puts it, “We’re out of time. We’ve got AI coming, we’ve got all these changes coming, we’ve got a world that’s changing… and it is on us to act like the adults and figure this out.”
AT A GLANCE
Who: Workforce Educational Collaborative
What: A workforce and educational collaborative geared to help foster the pipeline for tomorrow’s workforce
Where: San Antonio, Texas, USA
