Officials from the Texas Workforce Commission, the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency told the House Committee on Public Education that the three agencies are coordinating on a multi‑year initiative to align education and workforce pathways.

Brian Daniel, chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, said the initiative is now in its third formal iteration and has matured into a continuous collaboration among the agencies to ensure students and adult learners can convert education into marketable credentials. “We are in what would amount to the ninth year of this effort although it's the third iteration,” Daniel said.

Why it matters

Committee members heard that better alignment across K‑12, postsecondary and employers can shorten pathways to jobs, clarify credential value and reduce duplication. The initiative is intended to help meet a state goal of raising postsecondary attainment to 60% for adults aged 25‑64 by 2030.

Key elements described

- Credential library and credentials of value: The workforce commission maintains a Texas credential library and the tri‑agency work will assign employer‑facing value and labor‑market signals to credentials so students can compare cost and wage outcomes.

- P‑TECH and programs of study: TEA described P‑TECH high schools that combine a high school diploma, college credit (often an associate degree) and employer work experience; TEA showed early results where P‑TECH models increased industry‑certificate rates and associate degree attainment among participating students.

- Data sharing and My Texas Future: The coordinating board emphasized data platforms (My Texas Future and DataBridL) and a 2023 tri‑agency data‑sharing agreement that links student records, postsecondary enrollments and workforce wages to inform policy and to help students make decisions.

- Work‑based learning and apprenticeships: Daniel and Rosser highlighted internships, teacher externships, apprenticeships and joint regional pathway networks that bring districts, colleges and employers together to scale programs across regions.

Agency offers and next steps

Commissioner Wynn Rosser (Coordinating Board) said the board will continue to refine postsecondary programs of study to align with TEA’s updated secondary programs; the agencies pledged to provide data and templates to districts seeking to expand career and technical pathways. Daniel invited lawmakers to use the tri‑agency materials and regional pathway models as a basis for targeted funding and program scaling.

Ending

Committee members thanked the tri‑agency leaders and asked for follow‑up materials describing industry engagement processes, regional adoption metrics and the steps required for districts to launch P‑TECH or pathway networks.