During National Apprenticeship Week, UpSkill Houston and the Greater Houston Apprentice Network will explore the benefits and importance of apprenticeships as a talent strategy for employers. Apprenticeships are valuable tools employers are using to to tap diverse talent pools and develop talent with specific skills with a good return on their investment. Though traditionally associated with construction trades, the apprenticeship model lends itself well to paraprofessional roles ranging from tax preparers to insurance underwriters to photovoltaic installers — and yet, they are underutilized. 

Over the past decade, UpSkill Houston has cultivated a distinguished, nationally recognized collaborative network comprising business, industry, education, and community leaders. This alliance has fostered robust relationships and fostered an environment ripe for innovation, aimed at cultivating a workforce primed for success in Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast region. To sustain the region’s economic growth and competitiveness, the Greater Houston Partnership has a concerted focus on talent driven economic development to support the talent needs of the region’s key industry sectors. Furthermore, , the imperative to address skills gaps has intensified as our region undergoes a profound shift from an industrial to a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy.