Every year, 80,000 to 90,000 students graduate from high schools across the Houston metro area, while 60,000 to 100,000 new jobs are created. In a perfect world, those two pipelines – education and employment – would flow seamlessly together, preparing students for the careers our economy needs most. 

But that’s not what’s happening. 

The Gaps Between Education and Employment 

According to Good Reason Houston, only 27% of public school graduates in the region earn a degree or credential within six years of high school. Even fewer – just 20% – earn more than $42,000 annually. Many young people never enroll in postsecondary programs, or they drop out before completion. As a result, they enter the workforce by chance, not by design. 

On the other hand, employers across industries are struggling to fill critical roles. At the Greater Houston Partnership’s Talent Forward Summit, 90% of attendees said some-to-most roles were difficult to fill, and 72% said they want to provide career advancement guidance but lack the tools or processes to do so. 

These numbers tell a clear story: we don’t have a talent problem – we need new systems to connect, upskill, and retain talent. 

READ MORE: Greater Houston Partnership’s Talent Forward Summit Highlights Pathways to Competitiveness 

The systems that prepare, develop, and employ talent—schools, colleges, employers, and community organizations—often operate in silos. The information, data, and opportunities exist, but they aren’t connected in a way that allows people to act on them. 

The New Workforce Reality 

The rise of generative AI and other emerging technologies is transforming the labor market faster than ever before. Entry-level positions that once served as steppingstones into careers are changing or disappearing. The paradox is clear: workers are told they need experience to get hired, while the very jobs that provide that experience are shrinking. 

At the same time, AI presents enormous opportunity. It can help organizations capture and share institutional knowledge, shorten learning curves, and personalize career guidance. But technology alone won’t close the gap—it will take collaboration across education, industry, and community to align talent supply and demand. 

Why Connectivity Matters 

A connected workforce ecosystem means individuals can clearly see the pathways that lead to good jobs—and the skills, credentials, and supports they need to get there. It also means employers can access better insights into local talent pipelines and fill roles more efficiently. 

RELATED: How AI Will Help Houston Build a More Connected Workforce

Connectivity transforms a fragmented system into one that’s transparent, responsive, and inclusive—where every Houstonian has a fair shot at upward mobility. 

That’s the vision behind the Connectivity Platform, an AI-powered system being developed by the Partnership and Pathful Inc., designed to integrate career exploration, education pathways, and employment opportunities into one seamless experience. 

GET INVOLVED: Houston’s AI-Powered Tool for Career Navigation, Workforce Connection and Opportunity at Scale