Education innovator Mike Feinberg has identified a critical gap in traditional job training programs: the overwhelming importance of workplace behavior over technical skills.
Through his work with WorkTexas, Feinberg discovered that employers consistently prioritize character traits over technical competencies. “The technical skills are about 30% of what the employers want,” he explained during a recent podcast appearance. “The other 70% all say the exact same thing—’We need more welders who can lay a bead, electricians who can bend conduit—but what we really need is people who get to work on time; people who can work on a team.'”
This insight came from direct feedback from WorkTexas’s network of more than 100 employer partners across Houston. These companies, spanning various industries, repeatedly emphasized the same workplace fundamentals: punctuality, teamwork, and reliability.
The education leader traces this skills gap to systemic changes in American education. The push toward college preparation, while well-intentioned, inadvertently eliminated vocational training that once taught both technical and workplace skills.
“We shamed vo-tech out of the high schools. That was a tragic mistake and we got to correct that,” Feinberg stated. His current program attempts to address this by integrating soft skills training throughout technical instruction.
WorkTexas differentiates itself from traditional training organizations by focusing on employment outcomes rather than certificate completion rates. Many programs, Feinberg noted, celebrate high certificate rates without tracking whether graduates actually secure jobs or advance in their careers.
“We didn’t want to fall into that trap,” he said. “It’s jobs, jobs, jobs. More importantly, it’s careers, careers, careers.”
The program maintains contact with graduates for five years, providing ongoing support that often resembles job coaching or even therapy. This extended relationship recognizes that sustainable employment requires addressing various life challenges beyond workplace skills.
Feinberg’s approach reflects broader labor market trends, where employers increasingly value reliability and communication skills alongside technical expertise. His experience suggests successful workforce development must address both dimensions to create lasting economic opportunity.