Empowering rural Texas: Building pathways to prosperous careers
While Texas is home to some of the largest cities in the country, it is also home to a large rural population. More Texans live in rural areas (over 4.7 million) than in rural areas of any other state. That includes an estimated 900,000 K-12 students — the most of any state in the nation.
📖 READ OUR NEW REPORT: PATHWAYS TO RURAL CAREERS IN TEXAS
Rural Texas is also home to some of Texas’ most important industries, including agriculture, energy and a burgeoning space industry that together contribute over $200 billion to the state economy.
Rural Texas is critical to our state’s economic future, and strong rural talent pipelines play an important role in ensuring Texas’ long-term economic prosperity. Increasing access to postsecondary educational opportunities in high school and expanding pathways to attain workforce credentials will ensure rural Texans can land good careers and earn family-sustaining wages while staying in their hometowns.
The Texas Legislature has taken important steps toward improving availability of postsecondary educational opportunities through the expansion of rural workforce programming, such as the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership. But the state should continue to build up rural career pathways and workforce programs to support rural economic growth.
Expanding pathways in rural Texas
In our recent report, “Pathways to Rural Careers in Texas,” Texas 2036 lays out a series of policy solutions to set more rural high school students on the path to success.
These policy proposals build and expand upon the work that rural schools across the state are already doing to equip their students for careers. Also included are recommendations Texas could undertake to strengthen career and workforce efforts statewide.
As Texas looks toward a future where every Texan can thrive in their community, these initiatives represent not just policy recommendations but a blueprint for sustainable economic growth, keeping the spirit of rural Texas vibrant and forward-thinking. By investing in education and aligning it with local economic needs, Texas can ensure that its rural backbone remains strong, skilled and a part of the state’s success story.