Designing Tech-Enabled Participant Experience for a Workforce Nonprofit

Skillful Steps is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) workforce mobility nonprofit formed in 2024 to expand access to Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and infrastructure-aligned career pathways for justice-involved adults, low-income jobseekers, and aging foster youth. Our mission is to reduce unemployment, strengthen economic mobility, and remove barriers to training through a tech-enabled education and support model. Skillful Steps operates in partnership with our founding team’s established CDL training provider, Showoff E&D ELDT Training School, which delivered more than 300 CDL completions in 2024 with an estimated 85% job placement rate. Skillful Steps now serves as the nonprofit arm that provides funding access, wraparound services, transportation logistics, and multi-trade career preparation for individuals who cannot afford training on their own. Our current focus includes: Providing funded access to CDL, logistics, diesel tech, and welding pathways Delivering job-readiness training and one-on-one career mentoring Coordinating transportation and support services to remove barriers to participation Building partnerships with workforce boards, employers, nonprofits, and community funders Implementing transparent reporting systems to support donor confidence and accountability We are actively preparing for 2026 opportunities by strengthening our financial systems, expanding impact measurement, and aligning our programs with Houston’s growing infrastructure and transportation workforce needs.

Community Building

Employment & Job Training

Low-Income Communities