Forney is home to a vibrant and highly qualified workforce, providing employers with a ready talent pool of over 1.4 million workers within a 35-minute commute due to our community’s steady rise in population, as well as our strategic location in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Our highest concentrations of talent span both blue and white collar professions. This includes technology, engineering, healthcare, distribution and manufacturing.
Meeting the region’s current and future workforce needs is critical to the long-term growth and success of our city, so Forney EDC takes an active role in facilitating and developing our next generation of talent, forecasting future skills gaps, and preparing for the customized needs of area employers through demand-driven education, relevant training initiatives, and continuing education.
Talent Development
As one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, Forney Independent School District passed an impressive $623 million facilities bond issue in 2019 and a $1.26 billion facilities bond issue in 2022. Over the last eight years (2018-2026), Forney ISD has grown from about 11,000 students and 11 campuses to over 20,000 students and 28 campuses. In 2024, The Keith Bell Opportunity Central (Career, College and Community Center), or The OC, opened, along with a restaurant for the district’s culinary arts program, and with an expansion of the school system’s agriculture and welding/fabrication facilities.
The district also partnered with Kaufman County to provide 15 acres for a $3.8 million Emergency Services Center located next to North Forney High School. The Center offers internships and provides education and public safety training programs for law enforcement and first responders.
Hands-On with CTE
The district also offers workforce training through its CTE programs, including hands-on STEM, health science, electrical, and welding trades, providing students with real-life experience, such as welding custom commercial barbecue smokers for Moberg Smokers or putting engineering skills to the test by redesigning and repairing scientific calculators using 3D printers to create new parts. Additional real-world experiences are provided through student-run businesses at the OC, including Blooms (student floral shop), Novus (escape room), Pine & Ivy (home decor store), Code Ninjas (computer coding) and the OC Pit Stop (auto shop).
Higher Educational Options
As part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Forney students have access to a wide choice of respected community colleges and some of the top-tier four-year universities in the country.
Workforce Training Programs
The Texas Skills Development Fund & Skills for Small Business initiatives (Texas Workforce Commission) provide local, customized training and funding opportunities for new and expanding businesses through Trinity Valley Community College, Dallas College, and Texas State Technical College.
Dallas College and Texas Tech University recently announced a partnership with Forney ISD that will provide students and community members the opportunity to earn a degree at a Tier 1 University, all in Forney. Forney ISD students can take free dual credit classes through Dallas College, and Forney ISD community members receive the in-district tuition rate.