BridgeYear Launches Soft Skills Workshops to Help Houston Students Get Job-Ready

February 10, 2026 at 09:08 AM EST

BridgeYear has launched its Essential Soft Skills for Success (ES3s) Workshops, bringing Houston high school seniors into real-world workplace experiences to build career-ready skills such as communication, resume writing, and interviewing—especially for students pursuing certifications, apprenticeships, or direct entry into the workforce. Running through February and March 2026, the hands-on workshops connect students, educators, and employers to close the gap between education and real-world job expectations. Hands-on ES3s workshops connect high school seniors to employers, career readiness skills, and real-world professional experience.

Houston, TX, United States, 10th Feb 2026 — BridgeYear, a Houston-based nonprofit focused on supporting education-to-workforce pathways, has officially launched its Essential Soft Skills for Success (ES3s) Workshops, a series of hands-on, mini-conference-style events designed to prepare high school seniors for life after graduation.

Beginning this week and continuing through February and March 2026, BridgeYear’s ES3s bring students directly into local corporate partner spaces such as the Texas Medical Center Innovation Factory (TMCi), Gulf States Toyota, and Honeywell to learn the professional skills employers say matter most but are often hardest to teach in a classroom.

The workshops focus on professional communication, resume development, and interviewing skills, including mock interviews with real professionals. ES3s are built specifically for students who may not be pursuing a four-year college degree and are instead exploring short-term training programs, certification programs, or apprenticeships as their next step.

“At BridgeYear, we know that getting hired isn’t just about technical skills,” said Victoria Chen, Co-Founder and Executive Director of BridgeYear. “Students also need confidence, communication skills, and an understanding of what employers expect. ES3s gives students the chance to practice those skills in real workplaces, with real professionals, before they ever step into a job interview.”

Meeting Students Where the Workforce Is

Across Houston, employers report challenges filling entry-level and middle-skill roles, not because students lack potential, but because many lack exposure to professional environments and workplace expectations. At the same time, students graduating high school often feel unsure about what comes next, especially if a traditional college pathway isn’t the right fit.

BridgeYear designed ES3s to address both challenges through a single, employer-connected experience.

Each workshop functions like a mini conference day. Students rotate through interactive sessions that help them:

Practice professional communication and workplace behavior
Build or refine resumes aligned with real job opportunities
Participate in mock interviews with employer volunteers
Learn directly from BridgeYear about career pathways, certifications, and apprenticeship opportunities

“For many students, this is their first time stepping inside a corporate workplace,” said Fabeah Newton, Chief Programming Officer of BridgeYear. “That experience alone helps break down barriers and shift how students see themselves and their futures.”

A Program Designed for Today’s Career Reality

The ES3s Workshops reflect a growing shift in how students, families, and employers think about postsecondary success. As more young people explore alternatives to four-year degrees, the need for career readiness, workforce preparation, and soft skills training has never been greater.

BridgeYear intentionally designed ES3s to align with:

Short-term training and certification pathways
Apprenticeship opportunities
Direct entry into the workforce

This approach supports students who want to move quickly into high-growth, in-demand careers that offer a path to long-term economic mobility.

Powered by Employer Partnerships

Employer involvement is a cornerstone of the ES3s model. Corporate partners don’t just host the workshops; they actively participate. This collaboration allows employers to engage early with Houston’s future workforce while helping students gain clarity and confidence.

The program reinforces BridgeYear’s broader role as a nonprofit connector between schools, students, workforce training providers, and employers, aligning education with real workforce needs.

Supporting Educators and Counselors

While students are at the center of ES3s, the workshops are also designed to support educators and counselors navigating increasingly complex postsecondary planning conversations.

By offering a structured, high-quality experience focused on career readiness and non-four-year pathways, ES3s gives schools a tangible tool to support students exploring options beyond traditional college routes.

A Scalable, Repeatable Model

Unlike one-off career days, ES3s is designed as a repeatable, program-based model that can scale across schools, employers, and industries. By hosting multiple workshops over several months and partnering with a range of corporate sites, BridgeYear is building a framework that can grow with Houston’s workforce needs.

The ES3s Workshops also complement BridgeYear’s broader ecosystem of programs, including:

Career Test Drive Program
Career Cohort Program for certification and apprenticeship pathways
MorePathways, BridgeYear’s career navigation platform

Together, these initiatives help ensure students graduate high school with not just options but direction.

About BridgeYear

BridgeYear is a Houston-based nonprofit that helps young people navigate education-to-workforce pathways that lead to economic stability without requiring a four-year degree. BridgeYear works directly with middle schools and high schools to expose students to high-growth, in-demand careers and connects them to vetted local training providers, certification programs, apprenticeships, and employers.

By coordinating an ecosystem of schools, training partners, and employers, BridgeYear ensures students gain early career exposure, job readiness skills, and clear next steps after graduation. Through hands-on career exploration, workforce-aligned training pathways, and strong employer partnerships, BridgeYear helps students graduate high school with direction, confidence, and access to living-wage careers across Houston’s most in-demand industries.

To learn more about BridgeYear’s Essential Soft Skills for Success Workshops, visit: https://www.bridgeyear.org/for-schools/es3-conference/

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