WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS
Job Brief

July 2023 ι VOLUME 14 ι ISSUE 5
Podcast card Image of marketing card for Southeast Texas Works! Podcast series.
"Southeast Texas Works!" PODCAST UPDATE LIT president defines "gold collar" workers
Workforce180 has been our partner in podcast production of Southeast Texas Works! since the inception of our series in 2021. Doug Foresta, director of Podcast Services for Workforce180, does a masterful job of making our guest comfortable prior to the recording and working magic to edit each session to a final product. Doug has begun creating the introductory podcast 'commercial' and assisting in scheduling guests each month. We appreciate the professional support from Doug and Workforce180.

In the July podcast release, our guest, Dr. Sidney Valentine, president, Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT), explained the implementation of the college's new Workforce and Allied Health Training Center and nursing program. He emphasized the critical importance of trained “gold-collar” workers, not blue collar, to the ever-growing industrial sector of Southeast Texas. Dr. Valentine also spoke of the kindness of the people in the local community. He provides details about shared projects and his friendship with Dr. Jaime Taylor, president of Lamar University. The podcast is available now at this link, https://setworks.org/podcasts/.

Listen to these podcasts from our archives:

E20: "Preparing Our Next Generation" with Dr. Shannon Allen

Beaumont ISD Superintendent Dr. Shannon Allen joins the podcast to talk about how the school district works to prepare Beaumont youth for college and careers in the workforce. She also discusses BISD's new maritime program, how she became a superintendent, and the Youth Career Expo, among other topics.

E28: Industry Leaders Discuss Workforce Solutions SETX Teacher Externship Program

In this episode of Southeast Texas Works! we are joined by a panel of three special guests from TotalEnergies, Medical Center of Southeast Texas, and the Port of Port Arthur. Their companies participated in the Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas Teacher Externship Program in June 2022. The goal of the weeklong program is to educate teachers about in-demand jobs in these industries.

E33: Homelessness in Southeast Texas

Dr. Janeal White from Southeast Texas Coalition for the Homeless joins the show to talk about the issue of homelessness in our area. Dr. White's organization, a community services division of the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission, connects community organizations that provide services and aid for the homeless and collects local data on the homeless population, which can be a difficult task in itself.

The goal of the Southeast Texas Works! podcast initiative is to share information and views of business leaders, elected officials, professional educators, workforce board members, and others, on local issues, including the area's economic growth and the need for strategic workforce development. Access all episodes on our website, setworks. Subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, and Stitcher podcast providers.

Please contact Pamela Wise and Kevin King at business@setworks.org for more information.

A World-Class Competitive Workforce for Southeast Texas.