Thursday, June 14 the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) honored the City of Burleson and the Burleson Economic Development Corporation during TEDC’s Mid-Year Conference in Galveston with the Workforce Excellence Award for a city with a population between 40,001 to 100,000.
“I am excited Burleson Works was recognized for its innovation in its first year of operation,” said Mayor Ken Shetter. “It is an indication that working closely with the business community to build a strong workforce and create opportunities for our citizens is a smart strategy. We've known for a while now that investing in our own citizens is a great way to enhance economic development, and I'm glad others agree. I greatly appreciate the efforts of our business leaders, our economic development team, city management and the Burleson Opportunity Fund Board of Directors for making Burleson Works possible.”
The Workforce Excellence Award program recognizes exceptional contributions by a Texas community or region that has implemented successful workforce initiatives. Nominees were judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives, and secondary benefits.
“We are honored to receive this award,” states Alex Philips, Burleson economic development manager. “We feel that it is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication from a huge team. We are thankful to be part of a community that is determined to continue to make Burleson a great place to work.”
Burleson Works, a program of the Burleson Opportunity Fund, was created to fill the skills gap in the Burleson community. The program provided an opportunity for students and citizens to gain technical skills that will benefit local companies. The program focused on training in technical fields such as welding, engineering, machinery, software development, industrial maintenance, automotive and more.
In May, five Burleson residents were awarded the inaugural Burleson Works scholarship. The scholarship allows them to receive financial assistance for training at local technical schools and then they will have the opportunity to be placed directly into a position with a local Burleson company.
