The Austin State Capitol
On July 27, 2026, a group of business, trade, and public-sector leaders gathered in Austin, Texas, around a simple but important idea: what if young people leaving foster care could be connected to a career path before they ever had the chance to fall through the cracks?
The group began looking at what could be done differently.
One promising opportunity is in the skilled trades. Because the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses electricians and allows young people to obtain an electrical apprentice license beginning at age 16, foster youth can potentially begin building a career while they are still receiving support.
From that conversation, the Find, Train, Place Foster Youth Assistance Pilot Project began to take shape.
Youth receiving electrician training
Mike Holt Enterprises has offered to provide participating Texas foster youth with 40 hours of online electrical training at no cost, giving them an introduction to the electrical industry and a foundation for future apprenticeship opportunities. Private-sector partners have also committed to helping cover apprenticeship licensing fees, removing another financial barrier for participating youth.
The effort is also expanding beyond the electrical trade. Outreach has begun with trade organizations to explore apprenticeship, training, and mentoring opportunities in additional skilled professions. The goal is not simply to help a young person find a job, but to connect them with people who can teach, mentor, and help them build a sustainable career.
The group is also working through the practical barriers that can prevent these opportunities from becoming reality. One challenge is the cost of workers' compensation coverage for employees between the ages of 16 and 18. Another Texas state agency is evaluating potential costs and ways the state may be able to assist private employers with that coverage.
Transportation is another important piece. Participants are reaching out to Uber and Lyft to explore whether transportation partnerships could help foster youth reliably travel to and from training and employment.
TDLR has also offered to support the project by developing an online resource explaining how the program works and how employers, trade organizations, mentors, and other interested partners can participate.
The concept is straightforward: find young people who need an opportunity, train them in a valuable skill, and connect them with employers and mentors who are willing to give them a start.
What began as a meeting in Austin has the potential to become something much larger—a partnership between government, businesses, educators, and community leaders working together to give Texas foster youth another option for their future.
For a young person approaching adulthood without a traditional support system, an apprenticeship can represent much more than a first job. It can provide a skill, a paycheck, a mentor, a sense of purpose, and a path toward independence.
Sometimes changing a life begins simply by opening the right door.
TLDR Chairman Rick Figueroa brought the group together after recognizing the difficult realities many foster youth can face as they transition into adulthood. Without strong support systems or clear opportunities, too many young people become vulnerable to substance abuse, exploitation, homelessness, or violence.