Upskilling Waco
Prosper Waco is committed to equitable workforce development practices that promote
skilled talent for local businesses and family-sustaining wages for community members.
UpSkill Waco
UpSkill Waco is a collaboration to increase education-to-workforce system alignment and build McLennan County’s capacity to provide equitable workforce training pathways to underserved populations in high-demand, high-paying occupations. The initial courses piloted were construction core/industrial systems, medical office, and hospitality for adults 18+.
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This initiative is now thriving and now offers training from Certified Nursing Assistant to Industrial Maintenance.
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Prosper Waco + The WorkSITE
Prosper Waco is partnering with Texas State Technical College through the UpSkill Waco initiative to create a pipeline of applicants for the brand new WorkSITE training facility.
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This facility, which opened in February 2025, is a training facility that offers an opportunity for individuals to learn skills needed for the growing job market in Central Texas. This custom training pathway aims to address the industrial skills gap for existing and future industries of the Greater Waco area.
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Opportunity Youth Focus
Prosper Waco is committed to building, supporting, and sustaining multiple reconnection pathways that achieve better outcomes in education and employment for “opportunity youth.” These are young people aged 16-24 who are disconnected from school and work.
Prosper Waco is serving as a backbone agency in partnership with The Aspen Institute to create systems-wide and community level changes to achieve better outcomes in education and employment for opportunity youth. The network provides technical and funding assistance to help partners strengthen collaboration, increase community/program expertise, and build capacity to leverage policy and funding to scale and sustain opportunity youth pathways at a regional level.
Teacher Pipeline
Alternative-Teaching Certification
Prosper Waco is committed to convening decision makers in order to improve the teacher pipeline for the betterment of students in McLennan County.
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With gracious support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are convening education partners to help support the efforts to create a sustainable teacher pipeline using the strategic staffing model.