In West Dallas, a small cohort of working-age adults is about to get a shot at hospital and clinic careers, no tuition required. Goodwill Industries of Dallas and Workforce Dallas are teaming up on a 20-week Certified Clinical Medical Assistant training program that aims to move adults into full-time roles across local health systems.
The free, hybrid course blends weekly online units with in-person clinical labs and an externship, and organizers say it will prepare graduates to sit for the national CCMA exam. The program prioritizes applicants 25 and older but is open to anyone 18 and up, with the first class expected to include roughly 12 to 15 participants. Training kicks off Feb. 23 at Goodwill’s Westmoreland Road campus in West Dallas.
As reported by The Dallas Morning News, organizers sent a flyer to a database of around 3,500 jobseekers and say more than 600 people have already reached out, an early sign that interest is not in short supply. The News notes that Lynn McBee, the city’s workforce director, was asked by Mayor Eric Johnson to zero in on a “forgotten workforce” of older adults who have been bypassed by traditional career pipelines. Program leaders told the paper they plan to screen applicants carefully so the training is a good fit for both participants and employers.
How the training works
Per Workforce Dallas, the CCMA course starts Feb. 23 and runs for 20 weeks in a hybrid format that combines weekly online coursework with in-person clinical labs every other Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon at Goodwill’s facility at 3020 N Westmoreland Road. Students are expected to complete one unit each week, which organizers say translates to about 12 to 15 clock hours.
The program includes externship placement plus job placement assistance through Goodwill Career Services. Training is being delivered with support from TWU Ventures and Skilltrade, and organizers say classes will be free for participants, with financial help available to address other barriers that might keep people from enrolling or finishing.
Wages and local need
Federal labor data show medical assistants in the Dallas-Fort Worth region earned median wages in the low 19 dollars an hour range in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A Texas Workforce Commission analysis puts Dallas County’s median at about 20.20 dollars an hour.
Those earnings sit well below the cost of living. The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates required annual incomes in Dallas County at roughly 47,965 to 64,843 dollars, depending on household composition. That gap helps explain why organizers see targeted credential programs as one way to open up steadier work and potentially higher pay for adults who have not always had clear access to such training.
Why employer buy-in matters
Program leaders say the whole effort hinges on hospitals and clinics being willing to hire graduates into real jobs. They are already in talks with systems including Medical City Healthcare, Texas Health Resources and Baylor Scott & White Health about placements, The Dallas Morning News reports.
Lynn McBee, the city’s workforce director, told the paper that Mayor Johnson specifically asked her to focus on adults who have been shut out of standard career tracks. “When Mayor Johnson appointed me workforce czar, he was squarely focused on the forgotten workforce,” she said. Program organizers add that early commitments from employers will be key if they hope to expand the effort beyond small initial cohorts.
According to Workforce Dallas, the medical assistant track fits into a broader, people-centered push to connect adults to in-demand sectors such as logistics and hospitality. Partners plan to track credential completion and short-term retention to gauge whether the model is working. Details on eligibility and registration are available on the CCMA program page at Workforce Dallas.
