On October 18, Tarrant To & Through (T3), a partner of Tarrant County College, announced the launch of a new digital workforce platform called T3 Pathways to Careers (P2C). The launch was announced at an event held at TCC Trinity River. In addition to T3 Executive Director Natalie Young Williams and TCC Chancellor Elva LeBlanc, guest speakers included Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Hillwood President Mike Berry and Executive Vice President Tom Harris, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Market Executive Phillip Wiginton, who addressed more than 300 business, education, workforce, community, and city leaders.
The platform, which was created in partnership with the Fort Worth Mayor’s Council on Education and Workforce Development, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Tarrant County business leaders, bridges the gap between students and available career opportunities. It complements T3’s program model and provides a tailored experience for Tarrant County students to discover their skills and learn the steps needed to obtain the certifications and degrees needed for their future careers.
T3 moved to the TCC Trinity River campus earlier this year, which provided increased opportunities for collaboration and connection with TCC faculty, students, and advisors. Williams said the move “deepened our collaboration to better support student outcomes.”
“Tarrant County College and T3 share a kindred commitment to offering best-fit pathways for students to achieve career success and pursuing excellence in education for all Tarrant County students,” she said. “TCC personifies what it means to be an invaluable partner. TCC expertise and experiences shaped the T3 Pathways to Careers platform and their collaboration was critical to building the platform.
“T3 Pathways to Careers would not have been possible without our community partners. P2C not only ensures our students understand the diverse career options available to them and the training they need to get there, but also that our business community taps into the wealth of qualified talent in our own backyard,” Williams said.
“As with any partnership, one might ask what the return on investment is. At TCC, the community’s investment in the College has a 2.1 billion dollar annual economic impact, and for every dollar invested in their education, a 30% student annual average gain return in higher future earnings. Through our partnership with T3, we are growing that impact,” LeBlanc said.
“However, we know how critical the entire educational and workforce continuum is to a lifetime of socioeconomic prosperity,” she continued. “As the workforce and skills of a 21st-century economy change, it’s important that we continue to provide opportunities to reskill our workforce, and our partnership with T3 allows us to plant the seed for lifelong learning.”
Fast Facts about the T3/TCC Partnership:
- 2,256 T3 scholars have enrolled at Tarrant County College since 2021.
- The 2023 senior class was T3’s largest enrollment, with 973 scholars enrolling at TCC—a 28% increase over the previous year (Cohort 2) and an 86% increase from year 1 (Cohort 1).
- Retention and Persistence rates of T3 scholars at TCC are higher than the overall TCC student population.
- Cohort 1 T3 scholars who graduated from an ECHS are 29 percentage points higher than T3 scholars overall.
