Dallas College is moving forward with a workforce training center located at the formerly known Red Bird Mall.
The former mall, which is undergoing a $200 million renovation, is ideal for a workforce training center, said Dallas College’s Associate Vice President of Workforce Development Gloria Smith.
Smith explained that the center’s goal is to meet the employment needs of the underserved areas of Oak Cliff by training residents in jobs demanding high skills, such as truck driving, avionics maintenance, and heavy equipment operation.
“The college did an economic analysis, and the data is very disheartening. Dallas County has low unemployment rates in many areas, but in other areas, the rate remains high,” she said.
“We are in the early phases right now,” Smith said earlier this month, adding that the project was introduced in 2017, but due to COVID, plans were placed on hold.
By bringing a workforce development center to the Oak Cliff population, Dallas College hopes to reverse high unemployment.
Smith said plans to add classes are currently being discussed, including literacy programs, financial literacy, and life skills. Additionally, courses on logistics, business development, integrated technical training, and heating and air conditioning repairs are being investigated.
Smith said the offered courses are based on labor market demands allowing graduates to obtain marketable skills. The center’s course offerings are “just a natural fit for Dallas County,” Smith told The Dallas Express.
Businesses around Oak Cliff are eager to see the plan come to life. Smith said in conversations with the Oak Cliff business community, she constantly hears that they want to hire local people, but they lack the necessary skills.
The workforce development center “will change that,” she affirms.
The $200 million redevelopment of the former shopping mall in southwest Dallas will mean an increase in necessary amenities for Oak Cliff residents, including health care, restaurants, and other retail choices.
According to Smith, graduates of Dallas College’s workforce development center can add to the redevelopment of Oak Cliff.
“They can stay in the area and meet the demand of the future” employment needs, she said, adding that the center will be close to two other Dallas College sites, Mountain View and Cedar Valley.
The mall, which sat empty for years, has already attracted other occupants, including several medical institutions like the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Parkland Hospital, and other retail stores.
