Dallas College puts local workers at the center of Dallas’ convention center expansion
November 10, 2026
OVERVIEW
City and college leaders launched Dallas BUILDS, a workforce initiative tied to the $3 billion Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center expansion. Led by Dallas College, the program provides free construction training and connects residents across all 14 council districts to lucrative trade careers. With over 300 graduates already completed, the initiative aims to foster long-term economic stability and ensure locals build their own city.
When Dallas residents asked whether people from their neighborhoods would get to work on the new convention center, they were asking who would benefit from one of the city’s biggest public investments. At Dallas College’s Bill J. Priest Center on Nov. 9, city and college leaders offered an answer: free construction training, industry credentials and a direct connection to contractors hiring for the project. District 3 Council Member Zarin D. Gracey and District 8 Council Member Lorie Blair spoke about what Dallas BUILDS can mean for Black and Brown Dallas residents, including a chance to earn industry credentials and get paid to help build their own city. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson, who represents District 4 in Oak Cliff, also attended the launch advocating for the workforce investment.
The initiative, called Dallas BUILDS, ties the more than $3 billion Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Master Plan expansion to a workforce effort serving residents in all 14 City Council districts. Dallas College is the lead education and training provider, working with the City of Dallas, Inspire Dallas, Trinity Alliance and community partners. Its job is to help residents learn a trade or build on the skills they already have, then connect that training to work they can pursue long after the convention center opens.