By Elizabeth Caudill McClain, Senior Vice President, Talent Strategies
Average reading time: 3 minutes
In March, I attended the National Association of Workforce Board’s 2025 Forum, the nation’s largest annual workforce development conference, in Washington, D.C. I had the pleasure to present on how workforce boards, higher education, and chambers of commerce can take workforce development to the next level with industry-sector partnerships. Below are the key takeaways.
Economic diversity creates both opportunities and challenges.
The Dallas economy is incredibly diverse. That’s a tremendous opportunity. It means our economy is strong, and there’s economic opportunities for all of our young people and our adult workers. It also means we have to solve talent challenges and shortages for the many industries here. That’s incredibly daunting, but it’s also exciting when we get it right for workers and industry.
Complexity overwhelms employers and creates barriers.
Even though talent abounds in the Dallas region, finding it through the complex workforce systems can be difficult for employers. Because of this, employers may not be willing to branch out while looking to hire, meaning that workers with non-traditional backgrounds may be overlooked.
Systemic issues lead to persistent problems.
Talent fatigue is real. It’s exhausting constantly looking for talent and falling short, but this is a sign that there is opportunity in pipeline alignment. When a company turns to a workforce partner for help, it’s essential that the partner thinks about talent to workforce pipeline differently to circumvent systemic issues that keep employers from engaging. Alignment rather than siloed programming must be the top priority for workforce partners.
Solutions must be transformational, not transactional.
With the diverse economy we have, it takes too long for us to find one person to place in one job. It can’t be transactional; it has to be transformational. So how do we overcome these obstacles and how do we do it together?
Collaboration is essential for success.
Workforce boards, higher education institutions, and chambers of commerce are already working toward many of the same things, only each are focused on different aspects of the larger goal. The key to achieving more without duplicating efforts is to collaborate through innovation.
In our region, the DRC works closely with the 70-plus accredited colleges and universities in DFW to connect education and the workforce, strengthening the pipeline essential to the region’s business community. Through resources like the DRC’s DFW Higher Education Review, chambers of commerce can elevate and highlight the impact of higher education on the region.
There are multiple workforce boards in the North Texas Region, including Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas, and Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County. As partners, the DRC helps these organizations to provide comprehensive services and serve as connectors between the workforce and the corporate community.
In 2024, the DRC partnered with Dallas College and Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas to launch ten Next Generation Sector Partnerships for industry-led education and workforce alignment. These partnerships, spanning from construction, life sciences, health care, aerospace, to business and finance, include senior industry experts and community partners all working towards the same north star of economic prosperity for our region.
This new initiative has created alignment and shined a light on opportunities for improved talent strategies. Collaboration continues to be the foundation of innovation in the Dallas Region, adding to our thriving economy.
If you are interested in partnering with the DRC to find talent or participating in an industry sector partnership, send me a note at ecmcclain@dallaschamber.org.