Powering economic mobility in Texas

In the fall of 2021, Baraka Mirambi, a freshman at Tarrant Community College in Dallas, found himself adrift. It was an unfamiliar sensation: In high school, he’d had advisors to guide and prepare him for the future. But once Mirambi got to college, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to study, or even what options were available to him. A college degree, he knew, could open the door to greater economic mobility, but the first step was to chart a course forward.

Mirambi’s situation is hardly unique—an entire generation of students is facing the same challenge. The result? Dallas-Fort Worth, like the nation at large, faces a shortage of skilled graduates who are prepared to take on new roles in emerging fields.

But early guidance and mentoring can help students make the most of the critical training and education that drive economic mobility.

The Skills Gap

Over the past several years, Dallas-Fort Worth has blossomed as a business hub. It now leads the country in both corporate relocations and tech-job creation.

But the city faces a substantial, growing skills gap in middle-skills jobs (those requiring more than a high-school diploma, but less than a college degree), especially in healthcare, manufacturing, defense, and tech. Open, well-compensated jobs are increasingly available, but there’s a significant shortage of young workers with the training necessary to fill them.

To ensure the health of the local economy, it’s vital to build a pipeline of skilled talent, affirms Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “As the middle-skills gap continues to grow,” she says, “elevating programming, training, and internships for our high schoolers becomes more and more critical.”

By 2036 more than 70 percent of Texas jobs will require more than a high-school diploma. In Tarrant County, where Mirambi grew up, 77 percent of the county’s eighth graders don’t complete a two-year or four-year degree within six years of graduating high school.

As both a major Dallas-Fort Worth employer and a member of its business community, JPMorganChase recognizes the urgency of closing the middle-skills gap. In strategic coalitions with local organizations, we’re seeking to build a future workforce and city that is educated, inclusive, and thriving.

T3: Reaching Students Early

Tarrant To & Through (T3) launched in 2020 to help students in Tarrant County acquire the post-secondary training they need to contribute to, and benefit from, the local economy.

“Whether it’s scholarships, family support, or just having someone to talk to about your journey in college, T3 gives you so many advantages,” Mirambi says.

Beginning in middle school, T3 advisors help members of underserved, economically disadvantaged, or first-generation families map their path forward.

JPMorganChase has invested more than $3 million to support T3 in its important mission.

“We’ve seen that long-term education is a driver of economic mobility,” says Phillip Wiginton, market executive for JPMorganChase in Tarrant County and a T3 board member. “The program engages the students early, helps them figure out what they want to do, and makes sure they have the resources to get the credentials they need.”

T3 has already helped double the number of college applications in Tarrant County. More than 4,000 T3 Scholars have enrolled at one of the program’s eight partner colleges and universities.

T3’s President and CEO, Natalie Young-Williams, says JPMorganChase’s deep engagement has helped the program succeed . “It’s the relationship, the mentorship, the leadership,” she says. “The support for the vision, the leaning in on creating a strong, education-to-workforce ecosystem— they're at the center of that.”

Soon after arriving on campus, Mirambi says he began receiving emails encouraging him to meet with his T3 advisor. With their guidance, he began using T3’s Pathways to Careers digital platform. Funded by a $750,000 JPMorganChase investment, the platform allowed him to explore different career paths, along with their educational prerequisites and potential earnings.

Mirambi was part of the first cohort of T3 Scholars to graduate from a four-year college. “Having T3 alongside me really helped me shape my journey,” he says.

As he enters the next phase of his education—he’s pursuing a degree in business administration—he’s interning with T3, spreading the word about the program to a new wave of students.

TCU Students Get Real-World Training

In addition to funding nonprofit organizations to mentor secondary and high-school students exploring potential careers, JPMorganChase also builds strategic relationships with universities to prepare business students who are about to enter the workforce.

“Education and workforce are key to our city’s success now,” says Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “And 20 years from now.”

Consider JPMorganChase’s relationship with Texas Christian University, a top private school in Fort Worth.

At the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute at the Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business, students are preparing for careers in emerging energy technology.

“We are developing business leaders to help shape the future of global energy,” says Nikki Morris, executive director for the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute. To that end, the program places students directly in the field.

“They spend a lot of time in West Texas in the Permian Basin, on drill rigs, on gas-processing plants,” says J.T. Aughinbaugh, managing director and market leader for JPMorganChase in Fort Worth, and a member of the institute’s board of advisors. “They’re able to pair their book knowledge with real-world experiences interacting with senior-level people.”

Faculty at the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute closely track developments in the energy industry with TCU faculty, evolving the curriculum to ensure students are well-versed in everything from oil and gas to solar and nuclear energy. “The ability to adapt as the environment changes is absolutely essential,” says Aughinbaugh. “You're on the cutting edge.”

The Institute’s mentorship program has paired more than 115 business-school students with leaders across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. JPMorganChase has played a leading role in this: More than half of the initiative’s mentors are JPMorganChase employees, and we’re the number-one employer of students in the business school’s Neeley Fellows honors program, having hired more than 200 graduates.

We’re investing deeply in the workforce of tomorrow, helping to prepare a new generation of students who are skilled, economically mobile, and ready to hit the ground running.

Learn more about how JPMorganChase powers economic growth in Dallas-Fort Worth at https://www.jpmorganchase.com/communities/dallas.

The testimonials are the sole opinions or experiences of those featured and not those of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or any of its affiliates. These opinions or experiences may not be representative of what all may achieve. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or any of its affiliates are not liable for decisions made or actions taken in reliance on any of the testimonial information provided.