Growing up in a world where college was seen as the only path to success, Mike Feinberg noticed a critical gap in workforce development. Today, as co-founder of WorkTexas, Feinberg is pioneering a new approach to technical education that’s yielding measurable results in Houston’s competitive job market.
Mike Feinberg’s Evidence-Based Approach
Unlike traditional certification programs, Mike Feinberg’s WorkTexas tracks detailed employment outcomes. “We are proactively reaching out to all of them every quarter, are you still in the same job? Are you switching jobs? Are you looking for a different job? What’s your wage, your salary? Do you need any help?” Feinberg explains.
The results validate Feinberg’s methodology: 70% of WorkTexas alumni have either secured new employment or advanced in their current positions, with average starting wages of $19.10 per hour.
Mike Feinberg on Industry Integration
Mike Feinberg’s approach centers on direct industry collaboration. “The technical skills are about 30% of what the employers want,” Feinberg notes. “The other 70% all say the exact same thing. They’ll go, Mike, look, yeah, we need more welders who can lay a bead? We need more electricians who can bend conduit. But what we really need, people get to work on time.”
This industry-focused strategy has led to continuous program expansion. As Feinberg explains, “We still train in those fields. We’ve since added plumbing and HVAC and building maintenance and CDL truck driving, CDA, childcare teacher, medical assistant rigging, warehouse, logistics, culinary. We’re about to start a barbershop.”
Feinberg’s Vision for Long-Term Success
Under Mike Feinberg’s leadership, WorkTexas maintains a five-year commitment to graduates. “We make a commitment to follow our students who were trained for at least five years to help them not just get the job, but it’s the second two parts. It’s keep the job and advancing careers,” Feinberg says. “We’re interested in what that looks like in terms of career contentment and especially what it looks like in terms of earning power and creating sustainable lives for themselves and their families and future generations.”
The program’s success stems from what Feinberg calls a “sandbox” of support services. “The people who are working on food and housing and physical health realize their work can only truly make a huge impact with people if people wind up going to work and having a sustainable career,” he explains.
Through Mike Feinberg’s innovative approach to technical education, WorkTexas is demonstrating how vocational training can evolve beyond simple certification to create lasting career success. By combining industry partnerships, comprehensive support services, and long-term tracking, Feinberg’s program offers a new model for technical education in the 21st century.