Education and Workforce
We help schools, colleges, districts, and workforce organizations reach students, job seekers, and communities through data-driven marketing, strategic communications, and culturally responsive outreach.
What We Do
We partner with schools, colleges, and districts to attract, enroll, and retain students through data-driven strategies and authentic messaging. We design campaigns that align institutional goals with community aspirations by combining research, culturally responsive outreach, and storytelling, ultimately turning awareness into enrollment growth and student success. For workforce organizations, we develop integrated marketing strategies that connect job seekers, families, and employers across digital, broadcast, and community platforms.
Who We Work With
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K-12 school districts
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Community colleges and universities
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Workforce development agencies
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State education agencies
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Nonprofit education organizations
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Early childhood education programs
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Workforce boards and training programs
Core Services
Enrollment Campaigns
Data-driven marketing campaigns that attract, enroll, and retain students through research, culturally responsive outreach, and authentic messaging aligned with community aspirations.
Marketing & Advertising
Integrated paid, earned, and owned media strategies that strengthen brand positioning, promote initiatives, build trust, drive engagement, and amplify opportunities in education and workforce development.
Public Relations & Community Development
Effective messaging and media strategies that inform communities and build trust in educational institutions.
Education & Training
Leadership programs that help educators, administrators, and workforce professionals reset, re-center, and lead with purpose, equipping leaders to inspire teams, navigate change, and deliver results.
Strategic Planning & Consulting
Expert guidance aligning education initiatives with policy, funding, and community goals.
Audio & Video Production
Compelling multimedia content that educates, inspires, and engages students, families, and employers.
Graphic Arts & Design
Clear, impactful visuals that bring education initiatives to life.
Meet Our Expert
Dr. Michelle Cantú-Wilson, VP Education & Workforce
Dr. Cantú-Wilson brings nearly 30 years of experience in teaching, administration, and student-centered initiatives. A versatile leader in P-16 education, she serves as a trustee at San Jacinto College and as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, advancing access and quality in education locally and nationally.
Contact
To learn more about our education and workforce communications work, contact Dr. Michelle Cantú-Wilson at michelle@outreachstrategists.
Houston Community College
Using critical research, Outreach Strategists designed the culturally relevant “Real World Education” campaign, featuring HCC students in the collateral and an award-winning…
Workforce Solutions- TV/Video Production
Outreach Strategists assisted The Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions the largest in Texas, with a public relations strategy to inform the community about Workforce Solutions’ job…
Austin ISD
The Austin Independent School District saw a significant decrease in student enrollment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When schools re-opened to in-person classes, campuses across the district reported that scores of students…
Some of our Education clients have included:
Designed and implemented a campaign to grow Houston Community College’s reputation and drive enrollment.
Using critical research, Outreach Strategists designed the culturally relevant “Real World Education” campaign, featuring HCC students in the collateral and an award-winning TV commercial.
In just one year:
- Enrollment increased by 3%, exceeding the national average;
- Site views increased 500% across all HCC web pages, and
- Completed applications and payments increased by 600%.
Scope
The Austin Independent School District saw a significant decrease in student enrollment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When schools re-opened to in-person classes, campuses across the district reported that scores of students never returned. Austin ISD turned to Outreach Strategists to design and implement a major marketing campaign to win back families that had left the district for charter schools, private schools, or other options. The district also tasked Outreach Strategists with planning and facilitating a major gathering of representatives of all 116 schools to showcase their offering to families in person.
Role
Outreach Strategists began this campaign with a rapid research and analysis phase that focused on neighborhood school enrollment patterns and identifying reasons why families were choosing charter and private schools over Austin ISD campuses. Using these insights, Outreach Strategists developed a district Enrollment Guide with profiles highlighting each campus and its unique offerings. This guide, which is available in print and digitally, also features videos tailored to each campus and a photo library with curated pictures from all 116 campuses.
Outreach Strategists also devised a Marketing and Communications Plan that gave Austin ISD a detailed road map for reaching parents via paid and earned media.
Outcomes
Production of videos and photos began with the start of the new school year, and are on track to be completed in time for the district’s major recruiting effort later in the fall. When the Austin ISD Showcase event happens in October, each school will have its own brochure to show parents their unique offerings.
Workforce Solutions “Your Career Your Choice Powered by Workforce Solutions”
SCOPE
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world economy. In the Houston and Gulf Coast region, unemployment skyrocketed to nearly 14%. The Gulf Coast Workforce Board–Workforce Solutions is the public workforce development agency serving Houston, Harris County, and twelve surrounding counties that comprise the Gulf Coast workforce development region. It is the largest of 28 such regions in Texas. The organization provides job search services, training opportunities, and other available resources to help job seekers. Since 2016, Outreach Strategists has helped Workforce Solutions raise awareness and bring visibility across the local media ecosystem, including video, and earned media. Federal law prohibits using workforce development funding on traditional advertising; therefore, earned media coverage has become the de facto mechanism for promoting their services to the public.
ROLE
In order to reach the areas most affected, Outreach Strategists assisted The Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions with a public relations strategy to inform the community about Workforce Solutions’ job search services, training opportunities, and other resources. Because of the TV’s broad reach, Outreach Strategists helped facilitate engagement with local television stations, including KHOU-TV Channel 11, Houston’s CBS affiliate, resulting in station management offering a weekly 30-minute time slot on co-owned KTBU-TV Channel 55 (Quest Network) at no cost to the agency. The result was a magazine-talk show hybrid format TV series called Your Career Your Choice – Powered by Workforce. A proof-of-concept pilot episode was produced in March 2021 and presented to KHOU-TV management in June 2021. The outlet picked up the program with an initial 13-episode order for the first season.
Workforce Solutions “Your Career Your Choice Powered by Workforce Solutions”
OBJECTIVES
Outreach Strategists assisted The Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions the largest in Texas, with a public relations strategy to inform the community about Workforce Solutions’ job search services, training opportunities, and other resources.
Because of the TV’s broad reach, Outreach Strategists helped facilitate engagement with local television stations, including KHOU-TV Channel 11, Houston’s CBS affiliate, resulting in station management offering a weekly 30-minute time slot on co-owned KTBU-TV Channel 55 (Quest Network) at no cost to the agency. The result was a magazine-talk show hybrid format TV series called, “Your Career Your Choice – Powered by Workforce Solutions”.
The main objective for this project was to reach the people affected by increasing unemployment after the pandemic and help Houstonians find and keep better employment opportunities through Workforce Solutions’ services.
