Every evening at WorkTexas's orientation bootcamp, Mike Feinberg opens with the same refrain: Show up. Be on time. The best ability is availability. It can sound almost quaint in a room full of adults eager to learn HVAC repair, electrical work, or welding. Yet after conversations with more than a hundred Houston employers, Feinberg keeps hearing the same thing: technical skills get you hired. Soft skills keep you hired.
"We need more welders who can lay a bead, electricians who can bend conduit," he says, echoing employer feedback. "But what we really need is people who get to work on time, people who can work on a team."
Across industries, managers tell him that technical proficiency accounts for roughly 30 percent of what they look for. The other 70 percent live in the less glamorous territory of reliability, communication, and judgment.
Mike Feinberg Brings the "Work Hard, Be Nice" Formula to Adult Training
WorkTexas is built around that diagnosis. Students earn industry credentials, but the program defines success the way employers do—by tracking graduates for five years, noting job stability, promotions, and the ability to navigate workplace culture. Early habits formed in training—how a student handles correction, collaborates under pressure, or asks for help—often predict who advances later.
For Feinberg, this philosophy echoes an earlier chapter in his career. At KIPP, the charter network he co-founded, Work hard, be nice was the guiding motto. He notes, with some irony, that the organization later retired the phrase, but he never let it go. "It's easier when you're working with fifth graders," he says. "It's a lot harder with teenagers and very difficult with adults when you're teaching old dogs new tricks. But we got to do it."
The weeklong bootcamp is where those "tricks" become daily habits. Before touching a tool, students tackle workplace expectations, moral decision-making, and professional behavior. Guest speakers reinforce the message, including Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, whose story of twenty-hour days and relentless customer service has become a local legend.
Why Houston Employers Value Punctuality Over Proficiency
Employers have noticed the difference. TRIO Electric president Beau Pollock partnered with WorkTexas early, sharing curriculum and lending instructors at a time when demand for electricians far outpaced supply. The hands-on technical training matters, Pollock says, but it's the focus on workplace habits and mindset that sets WorkTexas graduates apart. Feinberg, he adds, "has embraced the employer's perspective but also has the education perspective and knows the needs of the people going through the training to make them successful."
The program's coaching is unusually specific. Students practice calling in sick without burning bridges, requesting time off appropriately, and disagreeing with a supervisor without escalating conflict. Career coaches like Shirmeca Littlejohn keep that support going long after graduation. "If you decide to stay, this is a five-year relationship. Don't freak out," she tells each new group. "Five years of us checking in with you. Are you working? Are you happy at your job? Are you working on a promotion? Do you need resources?"
Training the Whole Worker, Not Just the Hands
Because workplace cultures vary, WorkTexas tailors its preparation to employer needs. Yazmin Guerra, vice president and director of workforce development, collects feedback on what each partner values most. Some companies prize initiative and problem-solving; others require strict adherence to protocols. The coaching adjusts accordingly so graduates are prepared not just for a job, but for a specific kind of job.
Partners extend the program's reach. WorkFaith Connection reinforces professional habits and interview skills. Wesley Community Center offers financial literacy courses. Houston Community College adds computer and communication training. Together, they address the full spectrum of workplace readiness.
At the Opportunity Center, WorkTexas's juvenile justice program, the soft skills training goes even deeper. Project Remix Ventures lets students rehearse workplace behaviors in a controlled setting, make mistakes, and try again without risking real employment. Director Vanessa Ramirez calls these guardrails—a way to rebuild trust and teach that feedback is not an attack, workplace hierarchies differ from street dynamics, and consistency is more valuable than short bursts of effort.
Early Results Show Staying Power
The numbers suggest the formula works. Adult programs post an 88 percent completion rate. Graduates who remain employed for a year average $23 per hour. Roughly one hundred of the program's 637 alumni have returned for additional training, a sign they've sustained employment long enough to seek advancement.
Feinberg boils it down to a simple equation: "We can help everyone get a job based on their training. But keeping the job, advancing careers—that's 30 percent technical skills, 70 percent soft skills."
It's an old lesson, delivered in a new setting: show up, be on time, learn the craft, and learn the culture. Employers hire whole people, not just skill sets—and at WorkTexas, Mike Feinberg is making sure those people are ready.
