Skills Training Is Key Ingredient to Quality Workforce Development

By Mark Durand, Executive Director, Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas

There’s never been a more important time for training and development to maintain and enhance a quality workforce in Angelina County and our Deep East Texas region.

Employment in our region’s top industries, such as health care, manufacturing, construction, transportation, retail, and hospitality, are requiring advanced digital capabilities. For example, over 70 percent of U.S. jobs now require middle-to high-level digital skills (from using basic computing tools, such as Microsoft Outlook, to navigating specific technology applications).

It’s not just technical skills that are being sought by employers. Today’s work environment requires that employees have ‘soft’ skills, also called employability skills, at all levels of a business. The soft skills include the ability to work in groups, communicate efficiently in real-time, prioritize tasks, follow instructions, and show initiative. Other examples include critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, flexibility, team work and reliability.

In Angelina County, as in the rest of the state and the U.S., the demand for quality talent is outpacing the supply, and jobs in Deep East Texas are projected to grow by 7,143 over the next the 5 years. This statistic doesn’t take into the account the new facilities under construction or in the pipeline of recruitment to Angelina County. This presents the opportunity for improving technical skills and employability skills among individuals, students, and current workforce.

Upskilling, reskilling, and talent development are the responsibility of employers, employees, our education systems, and communities. Exciting partnerships have been developed involving local employers, economic development, schools, colleges, the workforce development board, and other stakeholders to ensure the region is ready for the job and industry growth that is being anticipated to come.

Below is a listing of resources available for businesses and individuals:

• Customized training for businesses through the Skills Development Fund

• Training for businesses with fewer than 100 employees through the Skills for Small Business

• Free online learning on SkillUp Deep East Texas. Residents of Angelina County have free access to over 6,000 online learning courses to build skills and knowledge. SkillUp Deep East Texas is a cost-effective opportunity for people to develop certificate-based job skills and upgrade their existing skill levels without additional expenses for travel, childcare and program fees. Participants receive digital badges or certificates as they complete each training session. To get started, visit https://detwork.skillupamerica.org/ or contact a Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas center.

• Weekly workshops include resume writing, preparing for interviews, job search/using workintexas.com, and specialized help for ex-offenders seeking employment. https://detwork.org/calendar

• Apprenticeship opportunities for computer technology and carpentry occupations through a partnership with Legacy Institute for Financial Education.

• Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas – Angelina County, located at 210 N. John Redditt Drive, is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Specialists are available to help with: job readiness, resume assistance, job search, skills training, paid work experience, workshops, support services, child care assistance and more.

• Job Fairs – Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas offers job fairs and hiring every week. Check the calendar for upcoming opportunities: https://detwork.org/calendar

• Plan for the Mega Job Fest, set for April 26, 2023, held in partnership with the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce. Updates about the event and registration will be posted here: https://detwork.org/calendar/event/147580/.

Employers in Angelina County

Angelina College

Brookshire Brothers

Georgia-Pacific

Lockheed Martin

Lufkin ISD

Lufkin State Supported Living Center

Pilgrim's Pride

St. Luke's Health - Memorial

Walmart

Woodland Heights Medical Center

250-499

Diboll ISD

Etech

Hudson ISD Huntington ISD

A Pineywoods Home Health Center

Academy Sports + Outdoors

Alexander Electric, Inc

Angelina County & Cities Health District

Axley & Rode, LLP

Belk Inc. #297 - Lufkin

Brazos Transit District

Buckner Children & Family Services

Burlington

Cascade Health Services LLC

Chick-fil-A West Lufkin

Chili's Grill & Bar

Cintas Uniform Service

Consolidated Communications

Contractor's Supplies Inc

Cotton Patch Café

Crown Colony Country Club

Double S Industrial Contractors Inc.

DP Solutions

East Texas Community Health Services

East Texas Food Bank

Family Crisis Center of East Texas

Ferrara's Heating & Air Conditioning Co.

Goodwill Industries of Central East Texas

Goodwin-Lasiter Inc.

H-E-B Foods

Home Depot

Hospice in the Pines

Huntington Health Care & Rehab

Huntington ISD

James Hilliard & Sons Landscaping

JM Chevrolet Cadillac

Kingham Dalton Wilson, Ltd.

Larkspur Transitional Care

Lee Transervices Inc

Logan's Roadhouse

Love's Travel Stop #709

Lufkin Coca-Cola Bottling Co

Lufkin Daily News

Lufkin Ford

McDonald's

Oceans Behavioral Hospital

Olive Garden

Outback Steakhouse

PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Pelican Pointe LLC

Ralph & Kacoo's Regions Bank

SONIC Drive-In

Southside Bank

St. Giles Living Centers, Inc.

Strickland Plumbing & HVAC, Inc.

Texas Asphalt Company, LTD

Texas Metal Casting Company

Whataburger

William George Co. Inc.

Women's Shelter Of East Texas Inc-

Family Crisis Center Thrift Store

Zavalla ISD

Command-And-Control Gives Way to Servant Leadership

Written By Amanda Powell

Leaders discovered that employee satisfaction hinges not on perks but on feeling heard and valued as a person. More and more, employees demand better working conditions so they can achieve a healthier work-life balance.

Empathy and understanding, paying more attention to opportunities for each employee to learn and grow, and adopting a "servant leadership" management style are replacing the "command and control" model.

What is Servant Leadership?

Don't confuse the kindness of servant leadership with softness. Originating in the 1970s, servant leadership focused on creating a workplace environment where employees grow and thrive. The philosophy behind it is that when employees are supported, welltrained, trusted, and empowered to do their jobs, they're more committed and engaged. In a servant leadership environment, employees take more ownership over their responsibilities and feel comfortable enough in their workplace to make mistakes, say "I need help," or come to their supervisors with actionable suggestions.

The business becomes more successful because the people in charge of operating it – the employees – have a higher degree of engagement and thus self-incentivize. Instead of a cold-war-style environment of disgruntled or resigned employees doing the bare minimum to satisfy their corporate overlords, a servant leadershipmanaged team nurtures the well-being of its employees, resulting in a more natural team dynamic and a higher level of employee satisfaction.

Putting Servant Leadership Principles into Practice

Servant leadership is a big trend across many industries, and managers are full of questions: Whom do we serve?

How do we help?

How can I make a difference?

Authentic leadership is a more transparent management style focused on sharing information, the thought process behind different decisions, and more openness to give-and-take for employee suggestions and concerns. Instead of managers hoarding information and simply doling out job assignments and expectations, authentic leadership involves sharing as much information about the company, reasons for change, and goals for the changes as possible.

Servant leadership takes this model one step further and includes empathy and empowerment. Leaders talk less, listen more, and value employees' insight, making them more responsible for creating their own path to success.

How Does Servant Leadership Add Value to an Organization?

Servant leadership focuses on seeing employees as the whole person, not just the job that they do. All people have the innate desire to be valued and cared about and a need to belong. When a leader can help meet those needs in the workplace and remove obstacles employees need to succeed, productivity increases, and employees feel more comfortable taking initiative.

Servant leaders lead to serve the needs of their employees, giving them the tools (equipment, training, and support) they need to do their jobs and anticipating their needs. This kind of support also creates camaraderie among your teams, and, through the example that servant leaders set, team members become more supportive of each other.

If you're struggling to retain your top talent, or if a recent employee opinion survey reveals that many workers feel unsupported by or disconnected from their managers, then perhaps a shift to servant leadership for your key managers and team leaders is necessary. Encourage your managers to lead with empathy, or even consider taking one of the many servant leadership courses available online. You may be surprised at taking a step back can enable your teams to take several leaps forward.