By TJJD Communications —
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. Craig Taylor as our new Assistant Superintendent of Workforce Development, where he will focus on furthering the development of our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, build strategic partnerships with employers and other stakeholders, and work across the agency to ensure TJJD youth are developing the necessary skills to find a job and establish a career upon being released.
Mr. Taylor started his career in education as an Agri-Science teacher and Principal before joining TJJD, where he served as the Principal at Mart State Juvenile Correctional Facility for more than seven years. Throughout his career with TJJD, he has led the school through some of the most challenging staffing shortages and has always used creative problem-solving to get the job done.
In his new role, he has hit the ground running, already establishing a relationship with Marek Construction with a goal of providing our first employee in March of 2026. He is also working with Vehicles for Change, which provides virtual reality training in the automotive industry, so youth can pursue opportunities for employment in that automotive field. Internally, he is working with the CTE Advisory Committee, the Texas Restaurant Foundation, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to strengthen the CTE programming within TJJD schools, which will ensure students have the proper skillset to obtain meaningful employment upon return to their communities.
Superintendent of Schools, Shelley McKinley, and TJJD Executive Director, Shandra Carter, have adamantly expressed that providing youth with the education, skills, and training needed to effectively enter the workforce when they re-integrate back into their communities is a top priority for the agency. In addition to TJJD’s current work with the agency’s CTE Advisory Committee, the Texas Workforce Investment Council, and other efforts, establishing this position will allow the agency to further develop meaningful relationships with industry leaders in the community and help educators understand what skills are relevant for today’s workforce, securing employment opportunities for youth along the way.
In his new role, Mr. Taylor will be helping youth invest in their futures. “We will be working with industry representatives, trade schools, and higher learning institutions to develop partnerships that will serve as mentors for our CTE programs to ensure we are training our students with the skills needed for the current job climate,” Taylor said when discussing the goals of this role.
The effect this can have on the youth TJJD serves is monumental for their re-integration back to their communities. “We will develop partnerships with industry representatives that will employ and mentor our students as they return to their communities and enter the workforce to become productive members of society. We hope to help our students gain confidence and self-worth by preparing them to enter the workforce and help fill the need for these jobs,” he continued. This new initiative will allow youth to gain skills that are necessary for high-demand jobs while giving them something purposeful to do when they get back to their communities. For many, the ability to support themselves through stable, gainful employment is a key indicator of their likelihood to recidivate.
TJJD is excited for Mr. Taylor’s new role and optimistic that dedicating the time, resources, and attention to help youth learn required job skills, while partnering with right potential employers, will yield positive results across the juvenile justice system.