Connecting People to Opportunity: The Role of Workforce Solutions

Most people don’t think about the workforce system until something breaks.

A business struggles to find talent. A worker can’t find an opportunity. Or an entire region begins to feel the strain.

In this inaugural episode, Juliet Stipeche, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, is joined by Board Chair Mark Guthrie and Communications Committee Chair Doug Karr to break down what workforce systems actually do and why they matter more than ever.

Serving over 8 million people across a 13-county region, the workforce system plays a critical role in connecting people to jobs, training, and long-term career pathways often behind the scenes.

From apprenticeships and middle-skill careers to the rapid rise of AI and the growing need for lifelong learning, this conversation explores how workforce development is evolving to meet the demands of today’s economy.

The episode also features ABC13 journalist Nick Natario, who shares how a COVID-era partnership with Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast helped connect thousands of people to jobs through virtual job fairs and the ongoing “Who’s Hiring Now” initiative.

This is a conversation about access, alignment, and the future of work.

What You’ll Learn

•  What a workforce board is and how it serves your community 
•  How employers, educators, and workforce systems work together 
•  Why middle-skill careers are creating high-income opportunities 
•  How AI is reshaping jobs and required skills 
•  Why literacy, numeracy, and lifelong learning are critical 
•  The importance of early work experience for young people 
•  How COVID-19 transformed workforce systems 
•  How media partnerships expand access to opportunity 

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction to the podcast
 0:45 – Meet Mark Guthrie and Doug Karr
 2:00 – What the Workforce Board does
 3:00 – Connecting employers, workers, and communities
 5:00 – Communication strategies and reaching new audiences
 6:30 – Scale of impact: 13 counties, 8M people
 7:30 – Apprenticeships and middle-skill careers
 9:00 – Changing perception of four-year degrees
 10:30 – Workforce challenges and talent gaps
 11:30 – The need for continuous upskilling
 13:00 – Literacy, numeracy, and education gaps
 15:30 – AI and the changing workforce
 17:30 – How to use AI as a tool
 19:30 – Skills that won’t be replaced
 20:30 – Education and employer misalignment
 22:00 – Youth workforce and early exposure
 24:30 – Value of work experience
 25:30 – Soft skills and generational shifts
 27:00 – COVID-19 response and transformation
 29:00 – Why this podcast was created
 31:30 – Transition to Nick Natario interview
 32:00 – Media partnership during COVID
 34:00 – Virtual job fairs and “Who’s Hiring Now.”
 36:00 – Connecting people to resources

Guests Featured

Juliet Stipeche – Executive Director, Gulf Coast Workforce Board
 Mark Guthrie – Board Chair, Gulf Coast Workforce Board
 Doug Karr – Chair, Communications Committee
 Nick Natario – Multimedia Journalist, ABC13 Houston

Connect to Opportunity

Looking for a job, training, or a new career path?

Visit: www.wrksolutions.com

Call: 888-469-5627

Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast offers free resources to help you get started.

About the Podcast

This podcast was created to close the gap between what workforce systems do and what people understand about them.

Each episode highlights real conversations, real challenges, and real opportunities shaping the future of work.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hello and welcome to the Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast Podcast. I'm Juliette Stapech, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Workforce. Across our region, millions of people are working to build careers, support their families, and contribute to a strong and growing economy. At the same time, employers are looking for talent they need to keep their businesses moving forward. Our role is to connect those two things in a way that creates real opportunity. On this podcast, we bring you conversations with employers, community leaders, educators, and workforce partners who are doing the work every day. We talk about hiring trends, workforce solutions, training pathways, and the real stories behind how people find jobs and businesses find tech. Whether you're a job seeker, an employer, or a community partner, this podcast is here to help you understand what is happening in the workforce and how to take charity. So let's start. Today we're joined by two outstanding members of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board. First, Mark Guthrie. For more than two decades, he has played a pivotal and vital role in developing the Gulf Coast's workforce strategies. He's chaired the Gulf Coast Workforce Board since March 2013. He served on the board since its inception in 1997, witnessing its evolution firsthand and continues to be a champion for its mission. Doug Carr is also a member of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and chair of the Communications Committee. He has a history in staffing and recruiting and a champion for persons with disabilities. He's been instrumental in helping us think about how we communicate our work more clearly and connect more effectively with our community. Mark and Doug, thank you so much for joining us at this inaugural podcast. And I'd like to start with this first question. So many people don't know about the workforce board. Can you share what it is and what does it do?

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Yeah. First of all, thank you, Juliet, for having us. Uh this is pretty exciting. This is another milestone for us. But uh but if Mark is 30 years in almost, next year will be his 30-year anniversary on the board, so he has a lot more knowledge than I do. I'm 10 years, and I thought that was a long time. I didn't realize how old Mark was until now. But but I think for me, the what the board does, it connects employers and employees and the communities through the 13 counties that we that we service. And a lot of times I think that people are they receive services that they don't even know that they receive from us. We're kind of like that engine behind the curtain in Wizard of Oz. A lot of things happen, but they just don't know that we're the ones that get it done. What we're trying to do with this podcast with other media streams is to get that message out there.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

That's awesome. So, Mart, tell us a little bit more about serving as the chair of this institution.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Well, I've been pleased to serve as the chair, and I think it's valuable time well spent. In my view, the board functions as an important community resource that pulls together many different stakeholders and facilitates the communication of their needs one to another, and then attempts to craft an efficient solution to those needs. And we are a convener, and there's really nothing else like it.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

So, how did you first learn about the Gulf Coast Board and became involved in it?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

I heard at a Greater Houston Partnership, which is in effect our Chamber of Commerce meeting, that a new board was being formed to deal with workforce development. And somebody volunteered my name, but I thought it was an interesting opportunity, and so I accepted.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So, what have you learned throughout these years about the local regional economy and what the influence of the workforce board is on opportunity?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

That's that's a broad question, and I'll I'll see if I can narrow it down a little bit. There needs to be a structure to communicate the employer's needs, the workers' needs. And the workers' needs also include education, which is a system that our board does not control or even influence very much. But we need to work together in a coordinated fashion to make sure that our workers are properly trained and educated to meet employers' needs so that the employers can prosper and the workers can prosper. And that provides a better quality of life across the region.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

So, Doug, as chair of the communications committee, you know, both of y'all are talking about the importance of sharing and connecting this critical information to help folks succeed. Can you tell us a little bit about what the communications committee's been doing to get this information out to the community?

SPEAKER_03 5:16

We've done a really good job of communicating with the community throughout the decades, but I think we've come to a whole other plateau that we've got to be able to communicate with the new generation. So we've really have stepped up our game when it comes to Instagram, YouTube, podcasts like this, our Facebook, uh, in a way that we can reach everybody in the way that they receive the information. It's not just one stream, it's not just one avenue that you can reach out to to reach these people. So everybody has their own mainstream of media that they use to collect their information, and that's what we're trying to do now. So we've consulted and worked with outside agencies to help us with that. And I would say in the last three years, we have come light years ahead of where we were communicating. You know, one of the things we're trying to communicate is not just with the employees, but with the employers about what their needs are, and not with just employers that are in our community right now, but ones that want to come to our community. And that's key for us because there are industries that are coming to Houston in the greater area in the next five, 10, 15 years that we don't have the skill set for right now. So we're trying to educate those employees so that they're ready for those employers when they arrive in the next five, 10, 15 years.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Both of you have acute information. The board oversees services for 8 million people in a 13 county region and a $670 billion economy. And so what does that responsibility feel like for both of you where you sit?

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Well, the numbers are big, no question about it. We have a big responsibility to ensure that the approximate $500 million per year that flows through the board is properly invested in a way that is fair across our service area and that delivers results. Again, we have to deal with a lot of things we can't control in that process, uh, including the education systems who need to prepare the region's workforce and many other aspects bearing on the economic vitality of the region.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

But you know, one thing that's so awesome is that you have this information, like the labor market information and the high skills, high growth targeted industries that you can share with these educators so that way they can make sure that they're aligning um their students with the needs of local industries and businesses. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_03 7:41

Yes. And I think one of the key things that we're doing now is we've really advanced our capability of apprenticeships. So when it comes to high growth, high-skilled positions, we've noticed that there are positions that are, there are just not enough people that are qualified to do those jobs. Uh it used to be that she had to have a four-year degree in order to make a good living. Well, that's not necessarily the case. Uh, there's a lot of uh skilled positions out there, like I a really good welder, uh, that maybe they're not certified, but we can put them through an apprenticeship program. And when they come out of that, they're a skilled welder that it can make a very good living for themselves and their family.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

So y'all have been conscientiously looking at ways to fast track opportunity, correct?

SPEAKER_03 8:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

And so we're looking at um different types of certifications, registered apprenticeship programs, and working with local technical schools and community colleges to be able to say, hey, you can get uh a two-year degree and have a fantastic career.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

That's correct. It amazes me the opportunities that these middle skilled jobs offer. It used to be that you aren't considered a success unless you had a four-year college degree in a related position. And that is that is just not true anymore.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

So, Mark, can I ask you to share a story? And what you went to a local uh ISD and you talked to them about this, and it wasn't very well received then. Can you share a little bit about how that has really changed and what's happening today?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Uh a few of us at the state level had written a paper on our education systems in the state and what changes needed to be made in in order to ensure that we have a prosperous Texas economy in the year 2040 and beyond. After that paper was published, I went around a little bit, made presentations to economic development groups and the like about what was in the paper. And at 7:30 on a Monday morning, I stand up in front of an economic development group in West Houston and tell them that not all of their kids needed to go, should go to a four-year college. And the response I received was pretty stony. Like you are out of your mind.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

So it's changing that perception and once again making sure that the information that we have gets out to the community, that there are so many different opportunities that exist, but you've got to connect to the needs of employers. And so, what are some of the most pressing workforce challenges facing our region right now?

SPEAKER_03 10:28

Yeah, I th I think it's enough qualified employees to meet the demands of the employers. You know, when we look at what's coming down the pipe, it's it's AI. Do we have enough people that understand the work of AI? To kind of give you an example, what Mark was talking about, the four-year degree versus the mid-level, uh, during my career, we were placing welders that lived in Houston, but they wouldn't go and work up in other states. They, you know, they brought their money back to the Houston economy, but they were making $150,000 to $190,000 a year as a welder. And who wouldn't want a job that pays that well? And they weren't even working 12 months a year, they were working maybe eight months a year. So what we've got to be able to do is have more of those individuals that are qualified that can make a really good living for themselves. But uh, you look at the healthcare uh industry, if we don't have more certified nurses uh in our in our region, we're gonna be hurting. We're not gonna be able to supply enough labor to the healthcare industry, teaching. We have uh we have the ability to help uh fast track teachers uh through our programs, and we need more qualified teachers in our system right now.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

And zooming out a little bit, the skills and abilities that employers need to have their workers to have are changing rapidly. The half-life of skills and abilities a worker needs is falling rapidly, and there's a growing need for continuous upskilling in every job, unlike 50 years ago, where you learned how to be a welder and your job really didn't change all that much over the years. We're also now thinking about what we need and what we need to be prepared to equip workers today with to be able to upskill them in the future to do jobs that don't exist yet. In my mind, that transfers to literacy and numeracy just to begin, computer skills, AI skills, and the ability to be a lifelong learner. And a lot of our workforce doesn't have that ability today because they haven't needed to have that ability. We have to be concerned about jobs being outsourced or replaced by AI or robot and how we retrain those affected workers. Again, that was something that our our job market didn't present us with 20 or 25 years ago. And we have to worry about our K-12 institutions being able to teach young people how to read and comprehend and to do math on grade level when many of those youth are disadvantaged and or do not speak English as a first language. This is our workforce. And this is our workforce of the future. And if we don't do a good job with this in a short 10 to 14 year timeframe, the Texas economy is going to be tested by its ability to produce workers with the skills and abilities that their employers need to compete, some of which we don't know yet.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

We even have early childhood education that's a part of our portfolio in terms of serving so many families across this region have access to early childhood education. And so that sets the stage for the rest of a child's life, but also the family's life, because they can also get connected to services through Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast as well. And so, you know, one thing that you also mentioned, Mark, is the need of employers consistently telling us for basic literacy and numeracy. And I think the National Association of Educational Progress just issued a report talking about this challenge that only one in four Texas students are ready in their math and literacy skills. And so, what can workforce solutions do to offer support to help with upskilling? I know there's adult education and literacy and other access points. Can you share a little bit about those opportunities?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

We provide access to adult education and literacy classes as part of what we do. But I think the most important thing that we can do as a workforce board is to continually stress with our K through 12 partners how important it is to have young people who read and do math problems on grade level. If you cannot do that, you cannot be a lifelong learner.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

One of my uh one of our other board members, uh Paul Puente, who's with the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trains Council, told me if the K through 12 system can generate students that can do math and can read at grade level, then they will fill in with the rest of the training needed in the building and construction trains. So a huge note to our K through 12 partners on the extreme importance of making sure that the basics, the critical basics of literacy and numeracy are fully invested in and supported. You know, you mentioned, Doug, AI, uh as you did as well, Mark. And we were hearing, you know, people talking about AI and how it's reshaping what employers need, but also reshaping how employees work. Um, can you share a little bit about your thoughts on AI's impact on the local workforce?

SPEAKER_03 15:58

I can. I can share a personal example. Uh the other day I I had to have my AC tuna done, and I called the same place I've used for 20 years, and I started talking to somebody. And about five minutes into the conversation, I started thinking, am I talking to a live person or am I talking to an AI-generated response? And what I figured out at the end was it was AI. But I didn't, I it was hard to tell the difference between them. And I really truly thought I was talking to a live person. So it's those kind of things that are changing the workforce landscape. So that person that typically would have taken that phone call is now able to do other things within their office. They don't have to sit there and answer phones and make appointments for people for customers. So this is that's just a small example, but I think people are running scared when it comes to what a robot's gonna do, what's AI, is it gonna eliminate all the positions? It may eliminate some positions, but it's also going to change some positions that you're gonna have to be upskilled in order to do. And it's gonna create new positions. So I think AI can be a scary thing if you don't embrace it. But if you embrace it and then use our resources and services that are available, you're prepared for that. You have a career in the future.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

I agree with the workforce boards have to do three things simultaneously right now. Educate ourselves on how employers use and want to use AI, educate ourselves on how we as a workforce board use AI to help us make decisions and do our work better, faster, and more efficiently, and then communicate to the education and training systems what AI skills the workers need to have. It's sort of like drinking out of a fire hose at this pace, but uh, we're doing it.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

I remember I had an opportunity to listen to a panel. This was at least five years ago, where um one of the panelists, uh, her name was Elizabeth McGee, and she was at Intel at the time, and she said, go home and download ChatGPT, start using it. It's not going away. At first I was like, I was a little cynical, but I really respected and admired her. So I went home and I did that. And it was the first time I had ever used AI, and it really changed my entire perspective. And to see the transformation within just this short time span, it you're right. It can be a tremendous asset that you can use to help advance your ability to study on your own, your ability to look for improving your own resume to customize and get questions for interview skills and training and development. So we shouldn't always look at it as something that's scary, but an assistant that can help us with a lot of different types of opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

And we need to consider it really as a starting point in our work. Remember that at the end of the day, that the human operating the AI, whatever it is, needs to retain some independent thought to, in effect, rein in AI because it's not always 100% accurate.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Correct. So it's like it helps you, but you also have to help yourself. And the more you're able to use it and not have it use you, is to your benefit, right? And so I tell folks draft your first writing and then have it improve it, but never ask it to do it from the beginning. The other thing that you brought up as well in this conversation is like AI can help in certain areas. It might have trimmed out certain jobs, but it's also there are certain jobs that, at least right now, are very safe in terms of not being phased out from AI. And um, some recent conversations have talked specifically about the building and construction traits. So I actually heard that a plumber's abilities to be able to come into your home and fix it are not gonna go out with AI.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

And I think that still goes back to the K through 12 educational system. And, you know, one of the one of the tests that we used to give people that worked in in the skill trades was how to read a ruler. And you'd be shocked how many people could not read a ruler. And, you know, that's one of the basic skills that you're gonna have to have. So when we're when we're educating the workforce and the and when they're K through 12, we got to make sure that they have these basics. So when they do come out, they know how to do it and what they want to do.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

So that's making sure that the students are being trained for the needs of employers. And I think that there's been a lot of conversations about trying to make that alignment happen between the Texas Workforce Commission as well as the Texas Education Agency. And so just some thoughts on what happens when that does not occur, when some of these certifications don't connect and we're not listening to employers. What happens in that aspect?

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Number one, you have some very disappointed employers. Uh-huh. Uh b because for whatever reason their certification wasn't approved. So the state refuses to teach whatever the curriculum is that the employer needs. That's a problem. Uh but e even if there is an approval for a certification and the curriculum is taught, it still has to be taught in a way that is relevant to how whatever the field is operates now as opposed to how it operated 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

So I think I had a an example of a company was going to hire a hundred welders, and a local school became very interested and shared that opportunity, and a hundred students were trained, but in the wrong type of way. And the employer ended up not hiring any of the students because it didn't align with what the industry needed.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

And that's where the communication broke down between the the two parties that were involved in. Uh each of them thought they were doing the right thing and didn't communicate well enough to understand what what the outcome should have been.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

So the critical information that the workforce board is sharing leads to real opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Right. Either the information that we share or just the act of getting the employer together with the school district or the school.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

So facilitating these connections so that way there can be intentional design. There is a program that the Workforce Board also supports, and it's the Higher Gulf Coast Youth Program. So can you share a little bit about why is it important uh for the Workforce Board to connect young people to these job opportunities as early as possible?

SPEAKER_03 22:44

The young generation, they're not sure what they want to do. They're not sure if they're gonna like it or not. And I think when you connect them and you get them into some apprenticeships and different things and get them exposed to what those industries uh are capable of presenting to them, it gives them an idea if that's something that they truly want to do. I know that when we were all young, we probably didn't know what we wanted to do for me, probably until I was a junior in college. I didn't know what I wanted to do. But they they're not thinking about what they want to do with their career. Uh and as soon as we can connect them with employers and and get them involved in that workforce, at least it gives them an avenue of where they don't want to go so they know where they they do want to go.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

As uh Doug so kindly pointed out at the beginning of this podcast, I am getting pretty old, but it it seems to me that our generation, when we were in high school, it was a lot more common for us to have jobs after school weekends. And something has happened to get away from that. The prevalence of young people having those after-school part-time jobs uh has gone away. And I think it's crucially important for a young person to learn as early as possible the dignity of work and the independence that comes from that paycheck, even though it looks small to some of us, that money that that young person earned, then they how they manage. There's a there's not a lot of way to transmit those skills today.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

I am a huge advocate for young people to have an opportunity to work as early as possible. I say at least you'll have a chance to know what you like, what you don't like, and if you're heading in the right direction. And what's better to have some money to be able to spend as well, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:38

And it gives them the value of what the dollar is. I don't know who the who the author was, but a dollar earned is is worth so much more than a dollar, you know, just given. You know, you go to school all day and then you work four hours, even if it's you know a drive-through restaurant. When you get that paycheck, it's just the joy of receiving that money knowing that you worked. How hard did you work to get that? You know, it's a challenge. I I think when we talk about the education of K-12, I think we we have more issues to talk about in the next five to ten years because we're gonna have the COVID group that didn't necessarily get all the basics that they needed. And my wife is in education. The kids that they're getting into their school now are not at the same level that they were five years ago. And it's because of some of those things that have happened.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

So thinking about that, one last question, because I know that I saw a story recently saying that a lot of Gen Zers are getting let go from their companies because they don't have strong what they call soft skills, right? And so can you share a little bit about, you know, could it tie into COVID? What have you seen? Why is it important? You know, we talked about young people get, you know, starting employment early so that way they can start developing those soft skills, but that's a lifelong skill. And it really isn't just soft skills, it's those uh critical skills that are needed to be able to succeed. Can you share a little bit about how that's important for the workforce today?

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Well, it's certainly important to have the people skills, the soft skills to operate the business world today, just about anywhere you want to operate in the business world. I'm sure there's some exceptions. I I think it is due to a combination of things, including uh the the young people are tend to isolate themselves more with their computer screen, their phone or their tablet or their laptop. And there's not as much FaceTime, if you will, with other young people. I think that's a change from the way things were when I grew up anyway. I go back to the COVID years.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

You know, a lot of jobs went remote, and a lot of people got away from interacting face to face. It was over the computer or over phone or whatever. And some of them lost that skill. So I think technology is great, but when you abuse it, it can be detrimental as well.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

What's the hardest thing you've watched this region face? And how has the board responded?

SPEAKER_00 27:03

I was really proud of the way that the workforce board handled COVID and its staff handled COVID. We leaped into a number of emergency responses, including quickly developing the means to operate, communicate, and assist people virtually. We expanded access to child care for essential workers. We refined and substantially increased our digital presence. Doug mentioned this earlier, and in many other respects, just completely changed the way we do business. And we changed our focus to meeting people where they are instead of waiting for them to come to us. While we don't administer unemployment compensation, we stepped in to help the Workforce Commission with the deluge that it had of unemployment claims. I think it was the hardest, but I think the board provided a great response.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

I I agree. I think I think what COVID, if there's any positive that came out of COVID, it was that we as a board sat down and said, okay, how are we going to come out of this? First of all, we have to get through this and support the community, but how are we going to come out of this at the other end? And so we sat down and took a look at ourselves and said, Look, look, when we come out of this, what's going to be new to us? How do we restructure and make sure that we're servicing our community the right way? So I think we made a lot of changes. And that's the positive that came out of that. And I think a lot of employers in town did the same thing. They looked at themselves and said, okay, we've been doing the business the same way for years and decades. What should we change? Uh, this is an opportunity. It was almost like a pause for two years. And then after you come out of the pause, are we going to do it the same way we did going into the pause, or are we going to change things? And I think a lot of things changed for the for the positive.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

So what I'm really excited about hearing from both of you is that you have looked at crises and created opportunity. You have recognized that there are challenges, but you want to tell folks that there's hope. And you connect people to those opportunities that exist in the local economy that exists in their own backyard. And, you know, I want to say that, you know, Doug, you're the chair of the communications committee. Why is this podcast something that was important for you?

SPEAKER_03 29:29

I think it was important because me personally, uh, I walk every day. I walk five miles a day. And on my five-mile walk, I listen to podcasts. And it's a way that I that I intake information. And it's an easy, convenient way. In Houston, no matter where you live, you're probably in your car an hour, an hour and a half going one way to work. Uh, and what better way than to pick up information on, you know, books on tape. But podcast is a great way. And what we did when we were looking at how people are learning, podcast was one of the number one ways that people were receiving that information. So we needed to get in that game. We need to jump in uh feet first, uh, go for it, and see, you know, how can we reach a community in a different way? So this is the inaugural one. Uh I think it's been a, you know, I'll speak for Mark as well, but I I think this is probably one of the most exciting things we've done communication-wise, in order to reach a whole new audience that's out there.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

So, Mark, as the chair of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, what's your last message to our community in terms of the what does the workforce board, what can it mean for them?

SPEAKER_00 30:39

The the board and its efforts can mean prosperity for them. Uh, it can mean opportunity for them. Uh they just have to come in and let us see what we can do. And and so if you're in a job that you don't think's going anywhere, or you want to do something different, reach out, you know, whether you're in mid-career or you just started, and let's see if we can find something that you can do, that you can be trained to do well, that gives you satisfaction and makes your life better.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

I want to thank you both for participating in this inaugural podcast. It's exciting information for folks to be able to know that there is an institution, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and its operating affiliate, Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast, here, ready, willing, able with fantastic information about opportunities to prosper for yourself, your family, and your community. Workforce systems are really defined in moments of disruption when people need access quickly and businesses are trying to adapt in real time. COVID changed the way we think about work and how we interact with each other and how we serve our community. It pushed us to show up differently and think differently. And that's where this partnership began with ABC 13 and Nick Natani. Nick is a multimedia journalist who, over the past five years, has helped shine a light on workforce issues in a way that's clear, human, and actionable. Through initiatives like Look Who's Hiring Now, he has helped connect thousands of people across this region to real job opportunities. What started as a crisis became something much more a trusted and consistent way to make opportunity visible in the community. Because when people see opportunity, they can act on it. Nick, we're so glad that you are here today in our inaugural podcast.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

First of all, uh, thank you, Juliet. And it's been an absolute honor and privilege to work with the folks at Workforce Solutions. I've got to know you extremely well. Um, and I look forward to seeing you every time. And I see all the friendly folks over there at Workforce Solutions, and I've heard so many of their stories, and it's a it's amazing. And I tell people when they I send them to your office that a lot of them have been in your shoes before. So if you're nervous, if you're worried about what to do, maybe you don't think someone else will help, they've probably been there. So I mean, I've talked to folks there at Workforce Solutions that were homeless and they had good paying jobs, and uh, you all helped them land on their feet. So um I just wanted to say that before I talk about how we all got started. So I remember when the rodeo was talking about shutting down. And that's when I first connected to Workforce Solutions about, you know, jobs and the pandemic. And then lo and behold, the rodeo was shut down. And then I remember doing so many stories about people couldn't get through to the Texas Workforce Commission to reach and get their unemployment benefits. The only way to reach the Texas Workforce Commission at the time was by phone. And people would fall. And it was like, you know, just busy tone over and over. And so after doing weeks of those stories, every day talking to someone that couldn't get through the TWC, I was thinking, okay, what can we do to help people find work? Because so many people had lost their jobs and there was no, you couldn't go anywhere in person. It was all virtual at the time. And so I reached out to Workforce Solutions. I said, how can we create a virtual job fair? So uh that's how it all got started. We we said, let's give you the platform. You know, we had tens of thousands of uh people on social media. And I was like, let's do a weekly, well, we thought it would just be one time. Uh let's just do a one-time event where we could talk about, you know, find employers because people are still trying to hire. They were reaching out to workforce solutions, looking for people, but people didn't necessarily know where to go. So that's how we got started. And we thought it was a one-time thing, and then it was so successful. We're like, okay, let's keep doing it. And then it just six years later, here we are. So I think it's just absolutely incredible.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

A lot of people don't know about workforce solutions. We've got a lot of great opportunities, connections to jobs, training, scholarships, these different types of resources that are available to the community for free. Who did you recognize and realize? Let me call Workforce Solutions at that time.

SPEAKER_02 35:19

Well, first I didn't. I thought Workforce Solutions was uh the unemployment office. And um, you know, like I'm sure a lot of other people do, they reach out to Workforce Solutions. Hey, I can't give unemployment. What is going on? And now you all help direct them and everything else. Uh, but that's what I thought at first. And then uh I quickly learned, no, that's not what you all do. And um then I started to learn about the different services and what you all offer. And most importantly, for people is that they're free, that you all are are funded uh primarily through the Department of Labor. And so that's uh this is a service, you know, people pay taxes, and then you all help them in turn with workforce development. And I still learn today some of the stuff you guys do and the different scholarships and opportunities that you offer people. And I do when I when I talk to someone out in the field, and maybe I'm doing the story about um, you know, rental problems. And I go to uh court where people are evicted, I go to eviction court, and a lot of times people are evicted because they don't have their job. And I will say to them, have you heard of work or solutions? And I try to point them in that direction and and reach out to you all and be like, hey, I met this person. Can someone get in touch with them? And you guys always do. Um, but it's, you know, sometimes a lot of people do hear know of you guys. Uh, they definitely do, but there are definitely times where people have no idea. And so I try to steer them in that direction.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

Well, we are so deeply grateful for you being a workforce champion and also joining us on this inaugural podcast because we really want folks to be able to learn more about the different services and supports and resources that we have. And you have been such a huge champion sharing that information with our community. Um, curious to know, like over the last six years, what have you learned about like the growing changes in the economy and how local persons can connect to it as well?

SPEAKER_02 37:12

I think the biggest thing that I've seen and learned is the growth of apprenticeships and and trade school type programs. Because I know when I was growing up, the focus was college. You have to go to college. That's the that's the uh area in order to have a good career. Now, for a lot of people, that is the case. Uh, you know, in college, if you look at the statistics, people that have a college degree tend to do much better over time than those that don't. Uh, but I have seen uh that there are a ton of opportunities where you don't need to go to college. And I think the most eye-opening thing for me has been apprenticeship programs and how you can get an education and you can get paid while doing it. And apprenticeships, you know, when I think of apprenticeships, you may think of, okay, welding, HVAC, plumbing, those types of careers, but they're not. There are apprenticeships all over. Uh, in I did, I'm at a funeral home that was looking for a funeral home director. And I know that they're trying to build them in the aerospace community as well here locally. So uh, and when I talk to different employers or different industries, I always ask them, okay, do you have apprenticeship positions? And I was with an employer recently. I said, Well, what are your apprenticeship positions that you all offer? And they say, Well, we have internships. I go, No, no, no, no. I'm not talking about an unpaid internship. I'm talking about an apprentice program where you can someone can come in and get paid. And that way you can train them uh throughout the years and uh they can become a skilled craftsman or craftsperson with you within your industry. So I think that has been one of the biggest changes that I've seen is the growth. And I see not just you all talking about this, but uh hearing Vice President Harris when she was in Houston a few years ago, she talked about the importance of apprenticeships. President Trump and his Department of Labor talks about the importance of apprenticeships. So I think that's been the biggest change over the last six years.

SPEAKER_01 39:12

So, Nick, you sound and are an expert on this. A lot of times folks, you know, think that an internship and apprenticeship might be the same thing, and it's not.

SPEAKER_02 39:21

I can think of one story immediately that comes to mind. Uh, there was a young man who um had graduated from high school, didn't really know what he was going to do, and he had learned about the apprenticeship readiness program and through one of our stories that we had done. And because of that, he went and applied for that apprenticeship readiness program. And during his the graduation there, because it's a three-week program, I think. Yes, and when he graduated, he actually talked about seeing this on the news. And that was uh when someone then shared that video to me, that hit me hard because that just reinforced what we're doing and how the impact it can have on people's lives. Because here are people seeing what opportunities exist, and they're literally changing their lives because of this. And I got to meet him, um, and he was extremely appreciative of learning about that program, and he was so excited about what was next. Now, I don't know what happened uh with him, but I do remember when he graduated that program and he was getting ready to be placed into one of those apprenticeship programs. I think it was for pipe fitting. I think he wanted to become a pipe fitter. And so I don't know what happened to him, but um it definitely the fact that he saw uh the opportunities through our partnership and acted upon them and helped change his life uh really hit me hard. And that drives me to keep doing this.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

Well, we are so blessed. I know that anytime we have an opportunity to promote one of our job fairs or career fairs, the connection with ABC 13 draws so many individuals to our opportunities. Being able to be out in the community and meeting people where they are has helped us also design different types of ways of delivering services to the community as well. And so our Look Who's Hiring Now, John Fairs, allowed us to start thinking outside of the box. And so we created the workforce on wheels based on our different types of events in the community. So, you know, I just want to say thank you to you at ABC13. I can tell that this is something that's so meaningful and impactful to you too.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

And I will say our parent company, Disney, has different core pillars as a company that we believe in. And one of them is uh workforce development and community relations. And this fits that to the core. And so I know uh I've been at other stations, different ownership, uh, that would probably be like, okay, let's move on. Like the pandemic has ended, you know, let's refocus our energy on the daily grind and everything else. But, you know, our management, thankfully, has been totally on board and have been like, no, let's continue it. Let's foster this relationship because it is doing a good community service. And that is what Disney believes in. Um, and then I'll also add, I'll echo what you were saying about because of the attention, people reach out and they're like, you get to learn what they're looking for. So I can think of like resume. A lot of times, like I think when we had the social media, Facebook Live, I think the number one thing people were interested in was building a resume. And you all created a section to your website where people could easily build a resume. And so I I love that we have been also able to connect our viewers with you, and you could hear some of the top things that people need help with and are able to offer those, like reinforce those services or highlight those services to make it even easier for our viewers. So I don't think uh we're gonna slow down anytime soon. Uh, I know I love this. I love working with you. I love the folks at Workforce Solutions. I look forward to seeing certain faces. Not that other faces are bad, but like, you know, I've been there for six years, so I know a lot of you. And so when I see y'all at a job fair or if I stop in a workforce solutions building, I light up because um, you know, I don't I don't have a bad experience with you all. So um I can't wait to see what the future brings for sure, Julia.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

Well, thank you so much, Nick. We know that you have so much on your plate. You're so busy. And I want to say thank you and thank you to you and to ABC13 for this fantastic relationship. You have made us connect into people's homes in the community. You have helped us make sure that folks connect to the resources that exist and the opportunities in the local economy with high skills, high growth, targeted industries, and beyond. But most importantly, you have just really put your heart in this. We can tell. Your love of community, Emily, thank you so much for all of that you've done for us in this partnership together.

SPEAKER_02 44:06

Thanks, Julian. It means a lot that I'm the first guest too of this podcast. Truly, it does. So uh more years to come, more time to come, and I can't wait to work with your team as well.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

Thank you for joining us for the Workforce Solutions Gulp Coast Podcast. Every conversation we have here connects back to one goal: helping people access opportunity and helping employers find the talent they need to grow. If you're looking for a job, exploring training and careers, or trying to hire local talent, Workforce Solutions is here to help. You can visit us at WRKSolutions.com or call 1-888-469-5627 to connect with one of our 25 career offices across the Gulf Coast region. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss future episodes and share this with someone who could benefit from these conversations. Thank you for joining us at this inaugural podcast. This is Juliet Stepech signing off. Gulf Coast, let's get to work.