“Show up. Be on time. The best ability is availability.” Mike Feinberg repeats this mantra at every WorkTexas orientation bootcamp, backing it with hard data. After consulting with over 100 Houston employers, he discovered technical skills represent only 30% of what companies actually want. The other 70% comes down to reliability, teamwork, and basic professionalism—qualities often missing from traditional vocational training.
“We need more welders who can lay a bead, electricians who can bend conduit,” Feinberg explains, channeling employer feedback. “But what we really need is people who get to work on time, people who can work on a team.” This insight drives WorkTexas’s unique approach to workforce development, where character training receives equal weight with technical instruction.
WorkTexas’s mandatory weeklong bootcamp prioritizes these “soft skills” before students touch any tools. Sessions cover workplace expectations, moral decision-making, and professional behavior. Guest speakers reinforce these themes, including furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who shares his story of building an empire through 20-hour workdays and relentless customer service. “The virtues are your behavior, making moral choices,” Feinberg tells students. “That is what the employers really want. They want people who know how to work on a team, know how to follow directions, know the right thing to do.”
Industry partners validate this emphasis. Beau Pollock, president of TRIO Electric, partnered with WorkTexas from its early days, sharing curriculum and providing instructors. While his company desperately needs electricians to meet demand, Pollock emphasizes that technical competence alone doesn’t create successful employees. He values WorkTexas graduates for their preparation as “stable employees,” noting that Feinberg “has embraced the employer’s perspective but also has the education perspective.”
The program tracks specific behavioral markers throughout training—how students handle correction, interact with peers, and respond to frustration. Instructors observe punctuality patterns, teamwork dynamics, and problem-solving approaches. These observations inform job placement recommendations, matching graduates with employers whose cultures align with their strengths.
The curriculum extends into practical workplace scenarios rarely covered in traditional programs: calling in sick professionally, requesting time off appropriately, navigating supervisor conflicts, understanding workplace hierarchies. Partner organizations reinforce these lessons across multiple domains. WorkFaith Connection provides additional soft skills instruction. Wesley Community Center offers financial literacy training. Houston Community College runs computer literacy and communication courses.
For justice-involved youth at the Opportunity Center, soft skills training becomes even more intensive through Project Remix Ventures. Director Vanessa Ramirez explains the unique challenges: “Our kids are all involved in the juvenile justice system, and a large majority also have been involved in the Child Protective Services system. The adults in their lives have taught them not to trust because it makes you vulnerable.” The program provides “guardrails”—structured opportunities to practice workplace behaviors before risking actual employment.
Career coaches like Shirmeca Littlejohn maintain five-year relationships with graduates, providing ongoing support that extends well beyond technical troubleshooting. “Five years of us checking in with you: Are you working? Are you happy at your job? Are you working on a promotion? Do you need resources?” This long-term commitment helps graduates navigate workplace challenges that might otherwise derail careers.
“It’s easier when you’re working with fifth graders,” Feinberg admits about teaching these fundamental skills, referencing his KIPP teaching days. “It’s a lot harder with teenagers and very difficult with adults when you’re teaching old dogs new tricks. But we got to do it.” The data validates this approach: 88% program completion, $23 hourly wages after a year, and about 100 alumni returning for additional training to advance their careers.