Workforce Solutions recently opened an office in Sinton. The organization has eight career centers and two mobile units in its 11-county area. Courtesy photo
The worst day of someone’s career could very well be the best day if that person walks into a Workforce Solutions office. In the Coastal Bend, eight career centers and two mobile centers help link job seekers to existing job openings, and if there is no clear fit, find training for a new career.
“We have 5,000 job openings in the Coastal Bend,” said Ken Trevino, president and CEO of Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend. “And that’s just our market share; there are more out there.”
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend is one of 28 regional workforce development boards that operate under the auspices of the Texas Workforce Commission. Its goals are to help workers find and keep good jobs and help employers fill positions with skilled labor.
Successfully completing that simply stated mission takes more than a regional board of directors and computer terminals. Trevino coordinates efforts between industry and education partners to meet current demands while planning for the job markets of the future.
“Independently, we can’t do this without each other,” Trevino said. “We need economic development and economic development needs workforce development. It’s all part of a larger strategy to grow our region and community. Jobs is key to that. We are a puzzle piece in the development of the Coastal Bend region.”
To fill current job openings, Workforce Solutions helps individual applicants remove any barriers they might face that prevents them from taking a job. The organization helps with child care, transportation, resumes, interview skills and education.
Part of that process is to “build people up.”
“Sometimes, walking into our career center is the worst day they’ve ever had — they just lost a job,” Trevino said. “We do what we can to lift them up and find them a new job.”
Job seekers can sign up for four-day continuing education classes at either Del Mar College or Coastal Bend College. Upon completion, they will have a new resume, be completely prepared for interviews and motivated.
“We need people with a great work ethic who want to be team players,” Trevino said. “The whole class is built toward achieving this. The class trains and motivates.”
Education is a key piece of any job program, especially when it comes to planning for future job needs. Workforce Solutions partners with the Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend, Del Mar College, Coastal Bend College, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and TAMU-Kingsville to train young people to fill upcoming positions as well as current job openings.
“Our community colleges are very nimble about putting programs together that meet our needs,” Trevino said.
Two of the biggest areas lacking skilled workers are health care and craft trades. The demand is being fueled by growing hospitals and medical centers and an increase in the number of petrochemical industries drawn to the Coastal Bend because of the port and proximity to cheap natural gas. Port Corpus Christi is now the top energy port in the nation and the fourth-largest port in terms of tonnage shipped.
Workforce Solutions also works with local government and other entities to help bring in those industries. Trevino gave ExxonMobil as a prime example. A site in the Portland-Gregory region was on a list of four possible locations for the world’s largest ethylene steam cracker plant. Workforce Solutions help build a case for choosing the Coastal Bend by pulling together information about the local job market.
“Data is king in our world,” Trevino said. “We utilize data in every way we can to support the community. We want to be a source for labor market intelligence.”
Determining area job needs, finding and training workers then linking the right applicants to the perfect job in an 11-county area keeps the Workforce Solutions team busy. The need is evident in the numbers that come through the organization’s doors. Over the past year, 42,000 people came through the office on Staples; 33,000 in the Sunrise Mall location. Satellite offices in Alice saw 8,000 people.
“That’s a lot of people looking for work in the Corpus Christi region,” he said.
Workforce Solutions’s job is to match those people to existing jobs. If enough of them aren’t trained to meet industry needs, those industries will bring in workers from other places.
“Those needs will be met,” Trevino said. “The question is how many of them will be local.”
Workforce Solutions plans to answer that question and meet those demands.
To find the nearest Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend office, visit the website at workforcesolutionscb.org. In Corpus Christi, offices are located at 520 North Staples and in Sunrise Mall at 5858 South Padre Island Drive, Suite 1. Call (361) 882-7491 or (800) 860-5627 for more information.
