Sixty percent of the Corpus Christi population should have a degree or certification of education by 2030, said Gilda Ramirez, who is part of a team at the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce tasked with making that happen. The goal is part of a statewide initiative to prepare a workforce for available jobs lacking qualified candidates. 
“We need to find workers for the jobs that need people right now,” Ramirez said. “They are high-paying jobs in demand, but there’s not enough people trained to do them.” 
Ramirez is the vice president for small business and education at the chamber. She recently attended a National League of Cities leadership training in Washington, D.C. The trip came as a reward for being named one of the top 12 leadership cities in the nation. She was accompanied by Janet Cunningham, executive director of Coastal Compass, and Elizabeth Lewis, vice president and provost at Del Mar College. 
“We are working together to build a road map for career pathways for on-demand jobs,” Ramirez said. “Not just for our youth but for our current workforce.”
A recently launched website, launchmycareertx.org, will help them meet that goal, she said. 
“The website tells you what you need to do to get the job you want,” she explained. “It tells you what that job will pay and tells you when you are going to make your money back on what you spent to get your certification. It will tell you what you’ll make in 10 years’ time.”
Jobs listed currently exist and are seeking qualified candidates. 
Ramirez will be making presentations about how to use the website at schools and organizations thanks to a grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She will also be working to set up internships for young people at local businesses.
“My piece is to find mentoring for these students, helping them prepare for these careers,” she said. “Our goal is to prepare our workforce for the jobs we have here so when businesses come in, they can hire local.”