District forms ties with community
by Javier Garcia Jr., Reporter

 (Part 1 in a series on TCC and the Northeast Tarrant Community.)
    
    TCC has worked closely with the business community during its 36-year history.
    The district has traditionally used advisory committees as sounding boards to determine what the community needs from graduates of degree programs.
    The NE Tarrant Workforce Development conducted a yearlong study of the labor market in Northeast Tarrant County.
    The study is based on input from advisory committee members, chambers of commerce, economic development directors and educators.
    Charles Scoma, chairman of TCC Business Advisory Committee, explained the study.
    "The idea for the workforce study came as a result of our committee's wanting to know if TCC business curriculum was meeting the employment needs, especially the employers in Northeast Tarrant County," he said.
    The results identified hiring trends, wage and benefits information and workforce availability for NE Tarrant County.
    Scoma said the unemployment rate in the area a few years ago made it necessary for TCC to help the business community.
    "The study not only lets the college know what employers need but also is responsible for making employees aware of the services the college has to offer," he said.
    Elizabeth Thornton, TCC dean of Corporate Services, shared her expertise in the study.
    "Six years ago, Corporate Services was formed to provide a unit that focuses its entire efforts on economic, workforce and business development," she said.
    Corporate Services has provided customized training, job analysis and assessment services to more than 300 businesses.   
     Thornton said the role of Corporate Services is to strengthen the partnership between business and education to provide a skilled workforce. "TCC listens to the needs of businesses that need their workforce trained," she said.
    "With the economic development, we work closely with chambers' and cities' development efforts in recruiting new and expanding existing businesses," she said.
    While attending a workforce summit last November, Thornton received several ideas on what the workforce can improve.
    "More than 90 percent of businesses could improve profitability and long-term competitiveness by increasing the availability of a qualified workforce, improving productivity of employees and reducing the costs of poor selection and turnover," she said.
    With TCC and the northeast business community sharing information with one another, education can assist in meeting business needs for the future, Thornton said.