Training for in-demand tech careers: Dallas, TX
Published on: October 14, 2025
- Outcomes
- High-quality employment
MORE ABOUT THE STRATEGY USED IN THIS CASE STUDY Sector-specific job training
At-a-Glance
Summary
After the recession ended in 2009, Texas was home to a large veteran population facing challenges transitioning to careers in the civilian sector. At the same time, the technology sector in Texas was growing rapidly, but employers struggled to find qualified candidates for open roles.
In partnership with Citi and the Texas Veterans Commission, workforce technology training program NPower expanded from New York to Dallas in 2013 to address these challenges. The program initially provided free technology training and other support services to military-connected individuals (active duty military, reservists, veterans, and their spouses), and later expanded to also serve young adults facing opportunity gaps. After several successful years in Dallas, the program began expanding to other Texas metro areas in 2021 and has since scaled its operations to include Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston.
NPower graduates obtain industry-recognized technology credentials and have gone on to secure employment in high-demand, high-wage roles at companies such as Citi, Deloitte, TekSystems, PepsiCo, and Bank of America. Common roles for graduates include help desk administration, network engineering, and cybersecurity analysis.
NPower has also established partnerships with social service providers across Texas to address potential barriers to program enrollment and completion. For example, social service partners have helped participants access reliable transportation, childcare, and professional clothing.
Keys to success included strong partnerships with the business community in Texas; support at the local, state, and federal government levels; holistic wraparound services that helped participants successfully overcome challenges; and an alumni community that championed the organization’s efforts to recruit new applicants as it expanded.
Results and Accomplishments
1,800+
Number of individuals served in North Texas
78%
Percent of participants in North Texas that complete the NPower program
360%
Average increase in wages upon program completion, from approximately $15,000 before the program to $54,000 after program completion
Serving military-connected individuals and young people: NPower provides technology training alongside wraparound support services to help address barriers to entry for in-demand careers. Over 1,800 individuals in North Texas (that is, the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area) have completed the program since its launch in 2013. Approximately 80% of program participants served to date in North Texas are veterans or military-connected, and 20% are young adults facing opportunity gaps.
Helping participants launch careers in technology: 65% of participants in North Texas have secured jobs in information technology (IT) within 12 months of completing the program. Major employers include Citi, Deloitte, TekSystems, Bank of America, and more. NPower also hires graduates into permanent staff roles. NPower Dallas won the “Small Employer of the Year” award from the Texas Veterans Commission in 2013, with veterans making up 54% of the 26-person staff.
Increasing wages through industry certifications: Participants have earned industry-recognized credentials, ranging from foundational IT certifications to more specialized credentials, that demonstrate their expertise and offer pathways to economic security. The average starting salary for participants in North Texas is approximately $15,000 pre-program and approximately $54,000 post-program. After graduation, NPower offers ongoing upskilling in cybersecurity, cloud computing, app development, and career advancement to help learners continue to grow after completing the program.
Expanding to other markets in Texas: NPower Dallas was launched in 2013, and its successes led the program to expand to Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio by 2023. The Texas region is now the largest in the NPower network.
Overview
What was the challenge?
- Large veteran population and growing technology sector: In 2013, Texas had the second-largest veteran population in the country. At the same time, the information technology sector in the state was growing rapidly, creating jobs in network systems, software engineering, database administration, and more. The regional labor market in Dallas-Fort Worth grew more quickly than the national average post-recession, and one study estimates that the technology industry in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area grew by nearly 20% from 2010-2013.
- Skills gaps in the technology workforce: As job growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region was outpacing the national average, employers faced challenges finding quality candidates with the necessary training and certifications for open roles. Available talent did not meet the growing demand for technology skills, creating a labor shortage in the information technology sector. Typical entry-level positions in information technology required at least an associate’s degree, with most requiring a bachelor’s degree, whereas less than half of veterans in Texas held an associate’s degree or higher.
- Challenges transitioning to civilian life: In addition to lacking the technical credentials and professional support needed to transition to technology jobs in the civilian sector, veterans in Dallas also faced challenges accessing stable housing, transportation, and mental health services. Veterans made up less than 10% of Dallas’s overall population in 2013, but approximately 20% of the area’s homeless population.
What was the solution?
Partnering to create opportunity in Dallas: In response to these challenges, NPower — which was only serving students in New York City at the time — secured support from Citi to expand its technology training program to the Dallas area. The program launched in Dallas in 2013 to provide free technology training for military-connected individuals, including active duty military, reservists, veterans, and their families. The Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) and Texas Veterans Commission also played key roles in establishing the organization’s presence in North Texas.
Recruiting and training military-connected individuals: NPower Dallas received over 400 applications for its initial cohort, ultimately selecting 20 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to participate. Participants completed 15 weeks of classroom training, plus seven-week apprenticeships to gain hands-on experience with skills such as software and hardware installation and troubleshooting. The initial cohort graduated in September 2013 in a ceremony hosted at Citi’s offices in Irving, Texas.
Providing wraparound supports: The program hired dedicated social support managers to establish partnerships with service providers that could help address students’ needs outside the classroom, aiming to minimize barriers to entry into the program and promote retention in the program once enrolled. Social service partners helped connect students with services such as childcare, transportation, and food security.
Helping graduates secure employment: By 2020, NPower Dallas had helped over 1,000 military-connected individuals secure jobs at companies such as Bank of America, Citi, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, Splunk, Verizon, and the U.S. Department of the Army. Graduates from initial cohorts went on to become help desk support agents, systems administrators, field technicians, cybersecurity and information security analysts, and more.
Expanding to serve other populations and markets: Building on its initial success serving military-connected individuals, and recognizing that Dallas was home to a sizable population of young adults facing opportunity gaps, NPower Dallas expanded its recruitment pool to begin serving young adults without military backgrounds in 2021. Around the same time, NPower staff began planning to expand programming to Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The team cultivated new relationships in those areas, scouted physical office spaces, and hired dedicated staff in each new location. NPower Dallas expanded to include Fort Worth in 2022, becoming NPower North Texas, and the Houston and San Antonio sites officially launched in 2023.
Who was involved?
A joint effort between Citi and NPower: NPower’s development, program, and recruitment teams collaborated with Citi to plan the expansion to Dallas, where Citi had a sizable presence and connections to veteran-serving organizations such as the Texas Veterans Commission. Citi loaned NPower Dallas a project manager to help lay the foundation in Texas during program startup, and NPower hired a local executive director, instructor, social worker, recruiter, and job placement lead.
Employers committed to hiring veterans: Dallas offered a strong employer base committed to veterans’ professional development. Companies including Deloitte, Ernst and Young, PepsiCo, and JPMorgan Chase joined Citi as key early partners in the Dallas area. Members of the first NPower Dallas training cohort completed apprenticeships at Accenture, AmerisourceBergen, Citi, Dallas-Ft. Worth Hospital Council, Deloitte, El Centro College, Jewish Family Services, New Vision and TD Ameritrade.
Funders committed to economic mobility: While Citi provided key startup funding in Dallas, other public and private funders such as the Department of Labor, the Texas Veterans Commission, and JPMorganChase have helped sustain and grow programming in North Texas over time. Supporters including USAA, Harris County government, MacKenzie Scott, and other corporate and philanthropic funders provided additional resources that enabled the expansion to Houston and San Antonio.
Community colleges in Dallas-Fort Worth: Community college partners including the Dallas Community College District (DCCCD) and Tarrant County College supported NPower by providing physical meeting space, access to campus amenities such as parking and computer labs for NPower students, and dual enrollment options through which NPower students could accrue college credit for their NPower training. NPower Dallas now hosts a community help desk based at the Bill J. Priest Center at Dallas College, where community members can access free technology support services provided by NPower trainees.
Social service providers: Social service partners offer services including childcare, professional attire, transportation, financial assistance, and access to food and nutrition support. These partnerships are mutually beneficial: NPower directs students to service providers, and service providers also serve as a recruitment pipeline for the technology training program.
Local media: Marketing grants and partnerships with local media outlets boosted awareness about the program and helped NPower recruit applicants as the program expanded to new locations across the state. For example, when Houston’s Channel 2 news ran a segment about the program’s launch in Harris County, over 700 people applied for 50 available slots in the inaugural cohort.
What factors drove success?
Support from the business community: Employer partnerships have created pathways for graduates to secure meaningful employment in the technology sector. In addition to providing financial support to establish NPower Dallas, Citi is also the leading employer partner in North Texas, having brought over 230 NPower alumni on board through internships, apprenticeships, and full-time roles. Corporate partners offer professional development opportunities for participants, such as mock interviews and resume reviews, and help shape the NPower curriculum through involvement on NPower’s Texas advisory board. This approach ensures that participants receive cutting-edge instruction and skill development, while also offering employers an opportunity to shape their talent pipeline.
Leadership and staff with lived experience: Jonathan Pride, former Executive Director of NPower Texas, spearheaded the expansion from Dallas to other markets in Texas. As a military veteran with private sector experience, he leveraged existing relationships with veteran-serving organizations and cultivated new relationships with other public and private partners to expand NPower’s reach. Jonathan also highlighted that buy-in and dedication from his team helped ensure the success of the expansion from North Texas to Houston and San Antonio. Several staff members in NPower Dallas were alumni of the program themselves and could speak firsthand to the program’s impact when developing new partnerships and recruiting applicants.
Alumni referrals: NPower employs alumni engagement managers to track and support individuals who have completed the program. This allows NPower to understand which career pathways their students are pursuing and what they’re earning, while offering continued mentorship and connections for alumni early in their technology careers. In turn, alumni serve as the largest source of referrals to the NPower program in Texas, sourcing about half of all applicants across the state.
Holistic approach to student services: The wraparound support that NPower provides for students in Texas, such as childcare and transportation assistance, helps participants complete the program without being derailed by external challenges. As a result, NPower North Texas reports a graduation rate of 78% since the program’s launch in 2013. This far exceeds the statewide completion rate for similar programs: across Texas technical college campuses, approximately 42% of students complete their certificate or degree program within three years of enrolling.
What were the major obstacles?
Recruiting and serving a new population: When Citi and NPower established their partnership in 2011, NPower focused on serving young people facing opportunity gaps - it did not yet serve veterans, nor did it have a dedicated expansion team. As NPower sought to expand its program beyond New York City, Citi encouraged NPower to consider serving veterans, an approach that aligned with Citi’s approach to corporate social responsibility. As a new-to-the-region program without a recognized brand, NPower initially struggled to build trust and recruit applicants for early cohorts in Dallas. Further compounding these challenges, NPower staff based in New York were unfamiliar with veterans’ issues and how to effectively support veterans navigating service-connected challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder. To address these challenges, NPower built relationships with the Texas Veterans Commission and community college partners, then leveraged these relationships to support promotion and recruitment. These partnerships helped build the program’s brand in the region, and eventually recruitment accelerated via word-of-mouth promotion. The organization also hired a veteran as its first executive director in Dallas, who helped shape the program around veterans’ unique strengths and needs.
Transitioning from in-person to online instruction: The national NPower network shifted to fully remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alumni in Texas have shared that in-person learning offered valuable networking opportunities and hands-on support that are difficult to deliver as effectively in a virtual environment. Virtual learning also requires a personal computer, a stable and secure internet connection, and a physical space where participants can comfortably participate in video calls, all of which can be difficult for individuals struggling with stable housing, access to technology, or reliable childcare. Most NPower classroom instruction is now delivered virtually in Texas, but the organization continues to host in-person events when possible.
Coordinating operations across regions: As NPower expanded to new regions across the state, Dallas remained the “hub” for the state. NPower hired site directors to oversee operations in Houston and San Antonio, while the executive director for the state remained based out of Dallas. This hub-and-spoke model required new tools to share information and centralize data across sites, leading NPower Dallas to implement two new platforms: one focused on collaboration and project management across teams, and another focused on managing external relationships. Once the new tools were implemented, NPower Dallas staff trained their colleagues across the state on how to use the new tools, while also working to integrate technology systems so that relevant information could flow seamlessly across platforms. Promoting communication and consistency across sites is an ongoing process, but the integrated systems now offer a strong foundation for collaboration.
Timeline
NPower was originally established with funding from Microsoft, The Medina Foundation, The Seattle Foundation and the Boeing Company to bring technology services to nonprofits.
NPower launches its first cohort-based IT training program for young adults, branded as the Technology Service Corps, in Brooklyn, New York.
Citi becomes a key anchor partner, providing funding and job placement opportunities for young adults participating in NPower New York.
NPower Dallas is established in partnership with Citi, the Texas Veterans Commission, and the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), representing the organization’s first presence in Texas.
NPower kicks off a randomized control trial in partnership with Stand Together and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame, leveraging data from New York City and Dallas to evaluate how NPower's Tech Fundamentals program impacts student outcomes.
NPower Dallas staff begin developing partnerships and scouting physical office spaces in Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston
NPower Dallas expands to include Fort Worth, becoming NPower North Texas, and begins serving young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds in addition to military-connected individuals.
Support from USAA allows NPower to expand to San Antonio, while Harris County brings NPower to Houston. NPower hires key personnel for the new locations, including site directors, recruitment managers, social support managers, and career placement managers.
NPower publishes a new network-wide strategic plan, including a goal to increase the number of students served from approximately 2,700 to 15,000 annually by 2030.
Implementation process
What were the key components of the program’s design?
Classroom instruction and hands-on training: NPower’s technology training and certification programs run for approximately 20 weeks, with two cohorts per year. Recognizing that in-demand technology skills are constantly evolving, NPower regularly gathers input from private sector partners to inform its curriculum and aims to ensure instruction stays up-to-date through its National Instructor Institute. Across the national network, NPower is committed to delivering instruction that is trauma-informed and culturally relevant. Many NPower students also gain applied experience through internships, apprenticeships, and NPower’s community help desk, where trainees apply what they’re learning by providing free technology services to community members (such as computer troubleshooting and software installation).
Wraparound supports to address barriers to participation: As NPower expanded to new regions across Texas, it sought to ensure that participants in each region had the support they needed to fully participate in the training program. For example, participants in Dallas and Houston often had difficulty accessing convenient transportation, given the urban sprawl that is characteristic of both metro areas. To address this challenge, NPower worked with partners, such as Allies in Service and Caliber Collision, to arrange reliable transportation for participants who needed it most. Across all program locations, NPower’s social support managers connect participants with local service providers to address needs such as child care, stable housing, and food security so they can participate fully in the training program.
Centering the student experience: Across Texas, NPower collects feedback from prospective and current students through multiple channels, including listening sessions, surveys, and in-person “skip-level” feedback sessions between NPower staff and participants. These feedback channels help ensure that participants’ voices are heard and their needs are met, while building relationships and trust between program staff and the communities they serve.
How does the initiative create greater opportunity for community members?
Opening doors to in-demand careers: Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing technology hubs in the U.S., with nearly 30% job growth forecasted over the next decade. Texas ranks first among all U.S. states in the number of jobs added in 2024 and projected to be added in 2025. Technology careers in Texas offer wages that are higher than the median state wage on average, offering pathways to economic security and upward mobility for all young people and veterans who complete the program.
Serving Texas’s growing veteran population: Texas now has the largest veteran population of any U.S. state, with over 1.5 million veterans in 2025. The Texas Workforce Commission estimates that between 22,000 and 25,000 veterans each year choose to permanently locate in Texas after their service ends. NPower provides a pathway for this talent pool to receive free training, access social services to help them navigate the transition to civilian life, and secure high-quality employment as the technology sector in Texas continues to expand.
Building confidence: NPower helps students develop their professional identity and see themselves in tech careers that they may not have previously had access to. One NPower Dallas alum shared that she didn’t see herself as a “tech person” before completing the NPower program. She said, “For someone like me who thought that it was just too complex to manage, because it was not necessarily spoken about within my community, it was one of those things where I thought, ‘Okay, wow, I did not know I can do this!’ So when I started to implement it, it increased my confidence level tremendously.”
How was the approach funded?
Philanthropy: NPower Texas has secured philanthropic support through a variety of channels including private foundations, individual donors, and local United Way organizations. Support from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the United Way of Tarrant County enabled NPower to expand to Fort Worth in 2022.
Corporate sponsors: Citi provided key startup funding for NPower Dallas. Other corporate funders across Texas include JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Google, and more. USAA, a veteran-serving financial services company, provided funding that was critical to enable NPower’s expansion to San Antonio in 2023.
Local government: Harris County, which includes Houston, awarded $1.8M in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to enable NPower’s expansion to Houston in 2023.
State government: The Texas Veterans Commission is the state’s department of veteran affairs and has supported NPower since its launch in Texas through the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance grant program. The Texas Workforce Commission has also awarded NPower several grants to expand employer partnerships and apprenticeship programming.
Federal government: NPower is a registered apprenticeship provider with the US Department of Labor and has received several grants from the Department of Labor over a number of years. Many of these grants are awarded to the national NPower network and flow down to support sites across the country, including those in Texas.
How has the approach been measured and refined?
Program outcome data: Across the national network, NPower tracks and reports figures related to recruitment, retention in the program, and job placement after program completion. Alumni engagement managers in Texas also track starting wages at graduates’ first and second job placements for additional insights into students’ trajectories post-graduation. Data on post-program outcomes are collected through alumni surveys at regular intervals after program completion.
Impact evaluation: Beginning in fall 2019, NPower partnered with researchers from the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame to conduct a randomized control trial evaluating the impact of NPower Tech Fundamentals programming on participants’ educational and labor market outcomes. Study enrollment began in 2021 and concluded in 2024 with a total sample size of 1,663 across NPower’s Dallas, Texas and Harlem, New York sites. NPower established data-sharing agreements with LEO, the New York Department of Labor, and the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas to collect relevant labor market data and enable these analyses. Findings from the evaluation are forthcoming in 2026.