Dallas, Texas – Dallas College is set to mark a significant milestone with the official opening of its new Workforce Center at The Shops at RedBird. On Friday, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony, facility tours, and demonstrations of cutting-edge training technologies.
Spanning approximately 53,000 square feet, the Workforce Center is a beacon of educational opportunity, particularly in the realm of vocational training. It offers programs in diverse fields such as information technology, health care, manufacturing, logistics, and customer care. Attendees at the opening will witness first-hand the advanced robotics technology, forklift simulation, and high-tech allied health training equipment that the center boasts.
Gloria Smith, Dallas College’s Vice Provost of Workforce Education, emphasized the center’s strategic role in addressing income disparity within the community. “Located in the heart of south Dallas, the center will allow us, and our partners, to provide educational opportunities that lead to high-demand jobs for a population that has been historically underserved,” Smith stated. This commitment to serving the underprivileged segments of the community is a key aspect of Dallas College’s broader educational mission.
The Workforce Center is designed to be highly accessible and supportive of its students. It offers basic college transition courses including high school equivalency, English as a second language, financial literacy, and job readiness. Additionally, students will benefit from success coaches and comprehensive wraparound services addressing needs such as food and housing security, mental health, transportation, and child care. The center’s operating hours, from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., also cater to the varied schedules of its students.
Dr. Justin Lonon, the Chancellor of Dallas College, highlighted the importance of this initiative in the current competitive educational landscape. “Our Workforce Center at RedBird does just that and we are thrilled to introduce this educational hub at such a critical time,” he said.
Funding for this ambitious project is a collaborative effort, involving grants and partnerships with local entities. Dallas College has already committed over $5 million to the startup and annual operation, and recently received a $300,000 anonymous donation to support the center’s technology infrastructure. Collaborators include notable organizations such as Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, the city of Dallas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Vari, and Google.
The programs offered at the center are designed to evolve and adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of the industry. Initial career paths supported include health care assistants, forklift operators, customer care agents, accounting professionals, and industrial maintenance mechanics. The center also features virtual equipment for training in commercial driving and heavy equipment operation.
The Shops at RedBird, the center’s location, is a dynamic mixed-use development hosting various facilities such as Parkland Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Health, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, the Dallas Entrepreneur Center, and numerous retail outlets. The inclusion of the Workforce Center in this vibrant setting underscores its potential as an educational and vocational hub, promising to make a significant impact on the community it serves.
