In a world where costs are rising and job hunting is becoming more competitive, it is important to break down the barriers many young people face when entering the workforce.
To that end, Dallas-based nonprofit Texas Trees Foundation and its partners have launched a training program focused on urban forestry and landscape design with the goal of strengthening Dallas’ green jobs workforce by empowering struggling youth. The foundation’s work expands its efforts to build alternative career pathways across North Texas.
The Green Jobs Work Force program is a multi-week paid training course for low-income, homeless and disabled adults ages 18-24.
Trainees will learn about tree identification, biology, planting and maintenance, which will prepare them for jobs in fields such as landscaping and arboriculture, where they will study and manage individual trees.
Texas Trees and its partners are still working out the details, but a pilot cohort already graduated in February and another is currently in training. Each cohort will have four to six trainees.
Participants have the opportunity to earn federal safety certifications, as well as CPR and first aid certifications, which are necessary for jobs in many high-risk industries. Youth who participate in the program also develop resumes and undergo mock interviews, giving them skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. The Foundation assists trainees in finding jobs during the program and after graduation.
One of Texas Trees’ partners, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, is covering participants’ $15 hourly wage.
The Green Jobs program is also supported by a $400,000 Department of Labor grant, which Texas Trees said the late Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas and her successor, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, helped secure.
The initiative goes beyond job training to help young people succeed. Trainees are introduced to other organizations that provide housing and medical assistance to those in need, and transportation assistance, such as bus passes and gas cards, are also available.
Some participants may be eligible for assistance with expenses that keep them from going to work, such as child care costs or car repairs. Texas Trees officials said assistance will be offered on a case-by-case basis.
Finding a path to financial stability isn’t easy, and while relatively small in scale, the program Texas Trees and its partners have launched can help people reach that goal while providing paid training.
If employers were more willing to invest in workplace training, millions of young people would perform better in the workplace — and we’d build a stronger, more capable workforce.
“Texans need well-paying, accessible career paths outside of traditional four-year degree pathways, and I’m pleased that this initiative will provide more options for disadvantaged young people in Dallas.”
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