This Dallas program is building a workforce for green jobs

Breaking down barriers that many young people face when entering the workforce is important in a world of rising costs and ultracompetitive job searches.

To that end, Dallas-based nonprofit Texas Trees Foundation and its partners have launched a training program focused on urban forestry and landscape design. The goal is to bolster Dallas’ green job workforce by helping struggling young adults. The foundation’s work broadens efforts across North Texas to build alternative career paths.

The Green Jobs Work Force Program is a multiweek, paid training course for adults ages 18 to 24 who are low-income, homeless or disabled, among other factors.

Trainees learn about tree identification, biology, planting and maintenance. This prepares them for jobs in fields such as landscaping and arboriculture, which is the study and management of individual trees.

Texas Trees and its partners are still working out some details, but a pilot cohort already graduated in February and another one is in training now. Each cohort has four to six trainees.

Participants have the opportunity to earn a federal safety certification required for work in many high-risk industries, as well as CPR and first-aid certifications. The young people in the program also go through résumé-building and mock interviews, helping them build skills that will serve them throughout their lives. The foundation helps trainees look for work throughout the program and also after graduation.

One of Texas Trees’ partners, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, is covering the cost of participants’ $15 per hour wages.

The Green Jobs program is also supported by a $400,000 Department of Labor grant. Texas Trees said the late U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas and her successor, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, helped secure the funds.

This initiative goes beyond job training to help young people succeed. Trainees can get referrals to other organizations that provide housing and health care assistance for those who are struggling. Transportation support, such as bus passes and gas cards, is also available.

Some participants might qualify for assistance with expenses that can keep them from getting to work, such as child care and car repair bills. Texas Trees officials said that help is provided on a case-by-case basis.

Finding a path to financial stability isn’t easy. Although it’s relatively small in scale, the program launched by Texas Trees and its partners can help people get there, all while providing paid training.

There are countless young adults who would fare better in the workforce if employers were more willing to invest in on-the-job training. And it would build a stronger, more competent workforce, too.

Texans need gainful, accessible career paths outside of the conventional four-year degree track. We’re glad to see this effort create more options for underprivileged young people in Dallas.

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