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STATE PROFILE
Texas
Texas Career Development Resources

Program Goals and Emphasis

Career Development Resources (CDR) is a unit within the Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI) department of the Texas Workforce Commission. The mission is to improve the way Texans make career and educational decisions by providing useful and reliable information about careers, educational training options and jobs. CDR provides a wide array of career and occupational information materials to assist students and jobseekers in developing a personalized, well-informed plan for their education and career choices.
State Economic Profile

Economic and Environmental Profile

Major industries in Texas include petroleum and natural gas, farming (cotton, livestock), steel, banking, insurance and tourism. Automotive, telecommunications, wood products and pharmaceuticals showed major growth in 2004. Biotechnology is an emerging industry.

The January 2006 unemployment rate was 5.0%, as compared to 5.5% in April 2005.
Key Economic Sectors

• Government
• Health Care & Social Assistance
• Leisure & Hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Professional & Business Services
• Retail Trade
State Career Resource Activities

Highlighted Activities

• The Labor Market and Career Information department researched and authored a comprehensive report on the labor market and continuing education outcomes of workforce participants and students at all levels. The annual report also has several longitudinal studies to assess results multiple years after exiting the program.

• Reality Check Lifestyle Budget Calculator is an Internet-based tool that allows students to build a budget that matches their desired lifestyle and then see which occupations pay sufficiently to support that lifestyle. It also works backward with a fixed salary to see how far the budget can stretch. The calculator is designed to help students realize that the most desirable lifestyles require careers that include postsecondary education. This program received over a million page views in just six months of program year 2005.
 
Primary Activities and Trainings

Texas has conducted the following activities and trainings:
• Career Counseling for the 21st Century workshops
• Career Information Delivery Systems
• Career Orientation training
• Lifestyle Budget Calculator
• MI-CAR for Michigan
• Over 100 workshops and presentations
• Revised Occupational Digital Video Show on CD ROM
• Strategic Planning and the Use of Labor Market and Career Information
• Texas CARES version 6
• Texas Industry Profiles
• Training on "The Changing Face of the Texas Labor Market"
Career Information Delivery Systems (CIDS)

CIDS are computer-based systems providing local, state, and national information about careers and employment opportunities. State sites for CIDS include:

Elementary Schools550
Middle Schools 600
High Schools 3200
Community Colleges 35
4-Year Colleges/Universities 20
Other 260
 
Primary Resources

Texas has published the following resources:
• Career Tabloids
• Starting the Conversation parents guide
• Charting Your Course college selection guide
• State Licensed Occupations Guide
• Careers Are Everywhere elementary workbook
• Succeed At Work guide
• Occupational Digital Video Show on CD ROM
• Various brochures, posters, bookmarks
• Pathways to Personal Independence (career paths)
• Various research monographs
Program Funding and Partnerships

YearAmount
2005$270,465
2004$274,270
2003$275,898
2002$283,627
2001$251,418
Cumulative$1,355,678
Other Funding Sources

The program receives additional funding from the following sources:
• WIA Statewide Activities
• Carl Perkins Voc-Ed
• WIA Reemployment Services
• Program Income
Significant Program Partnerships

• Texas Education Agency
• Workforce Commission, Workforce Division
• Texas Business and Education Coalition/Texas Scholars
• Texas Higher Education
• Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Resource Allocation

Contact Information

State Contact

Project Director
Richard Froeschle
Texas Workforce Commission
Labor Market and Career Information
9001 IH 35 North, Suite 103-B
Austin, TX 78753-5233
Phone: (512) 491-4941
Fax: (512) 491-4966
e-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.cdr.state.tx.us
CIDS: http://www.iOSCAR.org
State Administrative Location

Texas Workforce Commission, Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI)

Regional Contact Information

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