Gov. Abbott orders Texas agencies to expand trade and workforce training

AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday directed four state agencies to immediately expand workforce training programs, apprenticeships and career education opportunities as Texas employees cointnue to seek more skilled workers to fill high-demand jobs.

New directives for Texas job training and apprenticeships

What we know:

Speaking at a press conference at the Governor's Mansion, Abbott announced a series of directives developed by the Texas Jobs Council, a group created by the Governor in March to identify ways to strengthen the workforce pipeline in Texas through executive action, or actions conducted by an agency.

"The demand for a high-skilled workforce has never been greater," Abbott said. "We want to make sure we have the best-trained workforce in the United States."

Texas Jobs Council co-chairs Megan Mauro, interim president of the Texas Association of Business, and Brent Taylor, Southern Region vice president of the Teamsters, joined Abbott at the announcement.

Big picture view:

The directives affect the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Under Abbott’s order, the Texas Workforce Commission is directed to do the following: 

• Expand apprenticeship opportunities
• Create a centralized online hub for career planning resources and develop career pathways for Texans facing barriers to employment, including veterans, foster youth and people with disabilities.
• Work to improve connections between employers and jobseekers by launching digital Learning and Employment Records through the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative.

Boosting skilled trades and vocational programs in schools

Dig deeper:

Abbott's directives include for the Texas Education Agency to do the following: 

• Seek to recruit more skilled trades professionals to teach career and technical education courses in high schools
• Update industry certifications to better match workforce needs and expand hands-on "try the trades" programs in rural and small school districts.
• The agency also will increase access to workforce-focused dual-credit opportunities for students.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will launch efforts to promote careers in the skilled trades and other high-demand fields that do not require a four-year degree, while also providing community colleges with additional data to help identify high-value credentials and workforce programs.

The Department of Licensing and Regulation will review policies aimed at allowing younger Texans to enter apprenticeships and career training programs sooner, waive fees for career and technical education instructors and expand options for taking licensing exams.

Aligning Texas education with employer demand

What they're saying:

Abbott said the initiatives are intended to address workforce needs created by Texas’ continued economic growth and the influx of businesses relocating to the state.

"We know that Texas leads the country in businesses relocating to our state," Abbott said. "Combined with that, we know that we probably lead with the demand by these employers for a high-skilled workforce."

The governor also called on school districts to expand career and technical education offerings, saying more students should graduate from high school prepared to move directly into skilled professions.

"We want to make sure that there are offerings that are provided so that when a student graduates from high school, they’ll have the training they need to go directly into one of these high-skilled programs where they’ll be able to earn a lot of money their first year out of high school," Abbott said.

Mauro said the council’s recommendations were designed to produce immediate results and reflected collaboration among business leaders, labor organizations and state agencies.

"The Texas economy has always been successful because of the strength of its workforce," Mauro said.

Timeline for future Texas workforce legislation

What's next:

The council is expected to reconvene this fall to develop recommendations for lawmakers ahead of the 2027 legislative session. A final report is expected in November.

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