Emily Newsome didn't start out planning a career in workforce development. She planned to be a teacher.
Like a lot of students, her first attempt at college didn't stick. At 30 years old, with two small children, she went back. While attending Texas A&M University-Texarkana, she took a part-time student worker position in the Dean's Office — practical, not strategic. What happened next surprised her.
"I fell in love with learning how the education system works," she says, "and my heart for non-traditional learners grew."
That part-time job launched a decade in higher education, moving from administrative assistant to Program Coordinator of Extended Education and Community Development — shorter-term certificate programs, the kind that meet students where they are rather than where the system expects them to be. Along the way, she kept coming back to the same realization: everyone's educational journey is different, and the people who fall outside the traditional path aren't less capable. They're just less served.
Today, as Manager of Business and Education Initiatives for Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas, Newsome sits at the intersection of education, business, and economic development — connecting the dots between what employers need, what educators teach, and what students in Northeast Texas are being prepared for.
Most people in Texarkana have no idea the work exists.
Building the pipeline
No two days look the same for Newsome. Her role spans project management, regional labor market analysis, employer partnerships, and program development — all in service of a single, long-term goal.
"The vision is to build a regional talent pipeline," she says, "ensuring that all students, employees, and employers have access to educational and training needs for a competitive economy."
That means analyzing which careers are actually in demand in Northeast Texas, then working backward — building pathways that connect classroom instruction to those opportunities so students can pursue meaningful careers without leaving the region.
It's structural, unglamorous work. The kind that doesn't generate headlines but shapes outcomes for years.
What happens when a teacher spends two weeks in a manufacturing plant
One of Newsome's most tangible programs is the Teacher Externship Program, now in its fourth year. The concept is straightforward: place educators inside local businesses for 40 hours of firsthand exposure to industry operations, workforce expectations, and career pathways. This summer, 15 teachers will be placed with local employers across manufacturing, healthcare, construction, logistics, and information technology.
Over four years, 65 teachers have participated. More than 3,500 students have felt the ripple effect in their classrooms.
What does that actually look like? When a teacher spends time on a manufacturing floor, abstract concepts get grounded. Instead of teaching measurements in isolation, they teach measurements the way a quality control technician uses them. Instead of discussing communication skills generically, they discuss what communication looks like when a production line depends on it.
"Students gain insight into both technical skills and essential workplace skills," Newsome explains, "such as communication, teamwork, reliability, and problem-solving."
The relationships built during externships also strengthen CTE advisory boards, open doors for student facility tours and internships, and bring practicing industry professionals into classrooms as guest speakers. The externship is a seed. The harvest takes longer — but it's already growing.
The long game, and the short one
Workforce development is often described as a multi-year investment, and Newsome doesn't dispute that. But she pushes back on the assumption that impact is distant.
"While the full effect of building a talent pipeline can take years, we are already seeing immediate benefits," she says. "That awareness starts shaping decisions now — what classes students take, what pathways they pursue, and how they view opportunities in our region."
Employers feel it too — through stronger school partnerships, more engaged students, and a future workforce that already understands what working in Northeast Texas looks like.
The long game and the short game are running simultaneously. Most people only see one of them.
What employers are leaving on the table
Newsome's frustration — expressed diplomatically, but clearly — is that local employers aren't taking full advantage of what's available to them.
Programs like On-the-Job Training grants through the Texas Workforce Commission can reimburse a portion of wages while a new employee is learning the job. The employer gets to build talent internally while reducing financial risk. Other grant opportunities exist for upskilling existing employees, addressing workforce shortages, and improving retention.
"The goal is to partner with employers — not just to fill jobs," she says, "but to build a workforce that is trained, prepared, and invested in staying in our region."
That last part matters in a city that has watched too many of its young people leave. Keeping talent here — connecting it to careers worth staying for — is the thread running through everything Newsome does.
It started with a part-time job in a Dean's Office. It's become something considerably larger.
To learn more about Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas and the programs available to employers and educators, visit netxworks.org.