Daphane Carter, Executive Director, Genesys Works

In an interview with Invest:, Daphane Carter, executive director of Genesys Works, discussed how artificial intelligence, industry credentials, and changing employer expectations are reshaping workforce development in Houston. Carter highlighted the organization’s efforts to prepare young professionals for emerging careers while strengthening long-term talent pipelines across a diversifying regional economy. “AI should never think for you; it should think with you,” Carter said.

What changes over the past year have had the greatest impact on Genesys Works?

Houston’s workforce is being reshaped by three converging forces: artificial intelligence, an aging workforce, and employers being asked to do more with fewer resources. Organizations aren’t simply hiring differently; they’re redefining what entry-level talent needs to know on day one. That reality has fundamentally changed how Genesys Works prepares young professionals. Meanwhile, close to 1,000 capable young people from under-resourced communities raise their hands every year for an opportunity to intern and enter the workforce early.

Genesys Works has responded in three ways. First, we are training and coaching young people to embrace AI and work alongside it. AI should never think for you; it should think with you. We are emphasizing power skills such as initiative, critical thinking, and sound judgment because those skills remain essential when working with AI.

Second, we are focusing more on industry-recognized credentials. It is no longer just the breadth of a resume, but also its depth. Approximately 200 young people participate in our summer training, and each participant leaves with two industry-certified AI credentials. These credentials deepen their resumes, provide transferable skills, and help differentiate them in the market.

Third, we are bringing together industry experts to discuss what is changing in the workforce and what career-ready talent should look like. Genesys Works is becoming more of a convener within the ecosystem, connecting professionals who can learn from one another while helping us understand what employers will need next.

How are you preparing students for a business environment where AI, automation, and digital skills are becoming essential?

The future belongs to organizations that develop learners, not just workers. Therefore, seeing AI as an opportunity, not a threat, is how our program model evolving to help our students become adaptable and sustainable in an ever-changing world of technology. Moreover, students should learn to use it responsibly rather than compete against it. On the technical side, we teach them about generative AI, different types of AI, and prompt engineering, which is one of the credentials they receive.

We are asking what entry-level positions will exist within the next three years that may not exist today. Prompt engineering is one area we are preparing them for. We also teach several AI and digital tools and show students how to apply them across data analysis, project management, and research because those are transferable capabilities.

Adaptability is another major focus. What students learned last year may no longer be fully relevant today, so they need to learn quickly and adjust to new tools and expectations.

We also emphasize emotional intelligence. We tell young people that there is artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence, and emotional intelligence is why they will remain relevant and valuable. AI cannot replicate the human element.

Lastly, as we prepare to celebrate 25 years of impact in 2027, we remain focused on one core mission: equipping young people with the skills, adaptability, and confidence to thrive in a technology-driven world. By ensuring their skills remain relevant and future-focused, we are helping shape the next generation of leaders and innovators.

What are the biggest workforce challenges employers are facing, and how is Genesys Works helping address them?

One challenge is upskilling an existing workforce while continuing normal operations. A company may introduce AI into a platform such as Salesforce, but employees still have to perform their daily responsibilities while learning a new way to use the system. Employers cannot stop operating while everyone receives training.

For Genesys Works, that means ensuring young professionals enter the workforce with relevant technical skills. We teach them how to ask better questions, verify AI-generated information, use AI ethically, and collaborate with it. We also teach them how to protect sensitive company information because many young people, and even some employees, do not realize what information should never be entered into a public AI platform.

We spend significant time teaching critical thinking. AI will never replace professionals who know how to think. It will amplify professionals who know how to think. Our responsibility is to help young people develop that ability before they enter the workforce.

How have conversations with corporate partners evolved, and what are employers expecting from workforce development organizations?

Houston was once primarily known as the energy capital of the world. Energy remains important, but it is evolving through the energy transition. Healthcare is becoming one of the region’s strongest industries, aerospace is experiencing a resurgence, logistics continues to grow, and AI infrastructure is creating demand for new skills.

Employers are looking for durable skills, which some call day-one skills. They want talent that can contribute early, adapt, and build a long-term career within the company.

Our conversations usually center on three areas: reducing costs, retaining employees, and strengthening community engagement. Employers first want to understand the return on investment. Approximately 47% of our interns are hired by the organization where they completed their internship, which demonstrates the value of building an earlier talent pipeline.

Retention is also important. Gen Z employees remain in a job for an average of about 2.7 years. Genesys Works alumni are averaging approximately 4.2 years, and we want to increase that number because every time an employee leaves, the company incurs recruitment and training costs.

Companies also want to be responsible stewards of the communities where they operate. Houston is a diverse city, and businesses recognize a responsibility to help the community and economy thrive while building a strong workforce.

What will it take for Houston’s business community to expand opportunities for young people from underserved communities?

It begins with recognizing the incredible potential, resilience, and value that young people bring to today’s workforce. The question should no longer be, “What can a 17-year-old contribute?” Instead, it should be, “How early can we begin developing tomorrow’s workforce?” As technology continues to evolve, young people bring digital fluency, curiosity, and an adaptability that organizations increasingly value alongside technical expertise.

The data reinforces that investing in early talent works. More than 95% of Genesys Works participants matriculate to college, our alumni earn a median income of approximately $60,000 within six years of high school graduation, and they are significantly more likely than their peers to earn industry credentials and STEM degrees. Nearly half of our interns receive employment offers from the organizations where they intern, demonstrating that early exposure creates lasting value for both students and employers.

We intentionally build long-term relationships, not transactional internships. We begin working with students near the end of their junior year of high school and continue providing technical training, professional coaching, mentorship, and career support until they secure their first full-time professional role. For many young professionals, that journey spans six or seven years, allowing us to develop talent alongside our employer partners rather than simply placing interns.

Ultimately, expanding opportunity requires more than opening a door; it requires changing how we think about talent. Employers that view young people as part of their long-term workforce strategy, rather than as temporary interns, will build stronger, more diverse, and more resilient talent pipelines. Opportunity begins with belief, but it is sustained through intentional investment, meaningful experiences, and leaders who are willing to bet on potential before it appears on a résumé.

What are your priorities for Genesys Works over the next three to five years?

My aspiration is for Genesys Works Houston to become more than an internship organization. I want us to be recognized as one of Houston’s most trusted workforce development partners, a place where employers come not only to build their talent pipeline but also to gain insight into the future of work. If we can help businesses develop stronger leaders while creating greater opportunity for young people, then we’ve done more than prepare students for careers; we’ve helped strengthen the economic future of our region.

The first priority is continuing to diversify the industries in which we place interns. When I joined Genesys Works nearly three years ago, we were working across approximately four or five industries. We are now in nine, and we are adding a 10th through faith-based organizations. My goal is to have representation across at least 12 to 15 industries in Houston.

The second priority is understanding the bridge between professional internships and skilled trades. There is significant demand for skilled trade careers, and we want to identify the middle ground between those opportunities and traditional professional environments.

The third priority is remaining ahead of credentials and certifications. A student’s postsecondary path may lead to college, trade school, or directly into the workforce. Regardless of the path selected, our role is to ensure each young person has transferable, adaptable credentials.

Organizationally, we are also preparing for a values-based restructuring designed to create a stronger environment for our team and the young people we serve. Change is no longer complex when it is inclusive. We are in the second year of a three-year plan and are 94% on track to meet our goals because people have been included in creating that future together.

Finally, I am committed to helping people find what I call the J-Factor, or joy, in their work. We work hard, but there should still be moments of satisfaction that keep people moving forward. Leaders have a responsibility to create those moments within their organizations.