Southwest.

com
2702 Love Field Dr.
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 792-4000

November 8, 2018

Dallas Chamber of Commerce

500 N. Akard St.
Suite 2600
Dallas, TX 75021

Dear Dallas Chamber of Commerce,

Cultivating ethnic diversity in the workforce has always yielded positive results, whether they
take the form of improved performance, increased productivity, or the attraction of the best and
brightest talent in an increasingly competitive market. Successful business endeavors are an
outcome of bringing in employees from a diverse variety of backgrounds and experiences who
are able to offer creative solutions to business problems. From an employee’s point of view,
success in the constantly evolving job market requires keeping themselves abreast with the latest
skills and technology to establish an edge over others. As simple as this may sound, it is
extremely challenging, as it requires time, money, and energy to acquire those new skills.
Therefore, maintaining one’s employability is an ongoing process of learning to adapt and thrive
rather than relying on exhaustible skill sets.

We at Southwest Airlines can imagine how difficult it must be to start one's career in a new
industry, country or work culture; thus, we want to help prospective employees from diverse
backgrounds by easing the process of finding a job. Therefore, we have decided to take the
initiative to help promote the culture of diversity in the city of Dallas by implementing
professional development and employment-focused workshops for immigrants and people with
diverse backgrounds. We would like to extend career-building resources and opportunities for
immigrants and the ethnically diverse to network with top industry professionals. We also want
to encourage participants to explore the different job listings we have, and help them launch a
successful career. Through our outreach project, our mission is to give back to the community of
Dallas that we operate in by integrating immigrants into the workforce, providing them with
stable employment, and giving them equal opportunities to learn and grow as professionals.

Given that our headquarters is located in Dallas, Texas, we hope to collaborate with the Dallas
Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s commitment to promoting economic prosperity is very
much aligned with our company culture of living responsibly, and we hope to leverage the vast
network of connections that winning this competition would offer to increase public awareness
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 2 November 8, 2018

about our program in the Dallas region, thereby allowing more potential candidates to benefit
from it.

Background

Contributions of Immigrants to the Dallas Economy

Since its beginning, Texas has been a state of immigrants. According to the American
Immigration Council, immigrants now account for almost seventeen percent of the state's total
population ("Immigrants in Texas", 2018). Their contribution to the thriving economy of the
state as business owners, taxpayers, and professionals has been significant. The labor force in
Texas is comprised of twenty percent immigrant workers in a range of industries such as
construction, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare services ("Immigrants in Texas", 2018).
Apart from that, almost 361,493 immigrants own, conduct, or manage a business and nearly 27.5
percent of them are self-employed ("Immigrants in Texas", 2018). In 2015, immigrant
entrepreneurs were responsible for generating almost $8.1 billion in business income
("Immigrants in Texas", 2018). According to a Dallas news article "How do we protect them?",
"one in five of the immigrants are also more likely to have a college degree than the overall
population, which helps compensate for the state college deficit" (Schnurman, 2018). Most of the
educated immigrant graduates go on to hold positions in technology, science, and engineering
majors (Schnurman, 2018). In short, immigrants have had a positive impact on the Texas
economy, from creating more jobs and developing new ideas for businesses, to adding healthy
competition in the workforce. Thus, it can be inferred from the facts stated above that failing to
provide more opportunities for immigrants to join the workforce would drastically hurt the
Dallas economy.

Deterrents of Career Success

A recent study from the Center of Talent and Innovation discovered that many immigrants don't
have enough exposure to professional development, lack mentorship opportunities, or become
victims of predatory employment agencies (Marcano, 2016). Such setbacks can only serve to
limit opportunities and deter career success for immigrants and people from diverse
backgrounds. Therefore, at Southwest Airlines, we intend to capitalize on our belief in living
responsibly to help protect these groups from potential scams and obstacles to success. We want
to make sure that our current and future employees are equipped with the right resources to rise
to the top and achieve the success they deserve. By providing professional development
workshops, networking events, and career exploration opportunities to immigrants in Dallas, we
aim to encourage diversity and inclusion for all.

Why Invest in Professional Development?

At Southwest Airlines, we believe in creating an environment that encourages continued
learning. By providing these opportunities, we are investing in our employees as they constantly
develop the necessary technical and soft skills. This prepares them to succeed with conflict
management, enhances communication skills, and improves customer service experiences.
Professional development workshops are crucial and effective, as they prepare ordinary
employees to become future business leaders. We want employees to feel that they are being
appreciated and making a difference in the company. When employees feel that they are gaining
expertise and growing as a professional, it encourages them to invest back into the company by
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 3 November 8, 2018

working hard rather than looking for opportunities elsewhere. By utilizing mentorship programs,
employees can also gain more experience on how to advance their career within the company,
which serves to increase employee retention rates. Such investments in management programs
make it easier to plan for succession within the company as well, since we can trust that all
employees have received valuable skills training over their years at Southwest.

Problem
The Dallas area is home to a population that has grown ever more rapidly in the last few years.
The population now numbers over 1.34M people according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and has
also become more diverse as time has gone on (US Census Bureau QuickFacts n.d.). Given that
Dallas’ diverse population includes well over 60% non-white people and/or immigrants, the
employment rate in the Dallas area should theoretically reflect the same or similar numbers;
however, that is not the case.

(Figure 1)

Source: Data USA Dallas, TX (n.d.)

Statistics have shown that the employment rates by race in the Dallas area are predominantly
white. Not only have immigrants and ethnically diverse people played a large role in Dallas’
urbanization, but they have greatly contributed to the local community’s economy. In order for
Dallas to maintain steady growth while keeping unemployment at an all-time low, the need for
diversification in the workplace is clear. With such a wide range of racial and ethnic composition
in Dallas, as shown in Figure 1, it's a concern that there has not been a corresponding trend in
employment rates for these groups.
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 4 November 8, 2018

(Figure 2)

Source: World Population Review ( 2018)

(Figure 3)

Source:World Population Review (2018)

As shown in Figure 2, the non-white populations in Dallas have much higher unemployment
rates. That in turn correlates to the Dallas poverty levels in Figure 3, which are also the highest
for African Americans, Hispanics, and other non-white races. If more people of color were to be
hired, Dallas would see much improvement in terms of the poverty level, homeless population,
and the local economy.

As shown in Figure 4, people with a non-white ethnic background tend to have lower education
rates across all levels, whether high school diplomas, bachelors or graduate degrees are
considered. By hosting these workshops, training events and the internal career fair, we can
reach out to these groups to find more qualified employment seekers in order to improve the
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 5 November 8, 2018

Dallas community and increase ethnic diversity in the workplace. By doing this, we will also
help those who may not know the resources that are available to them, and give participants the
confidence to seek the career that’s right for them. As an article by HuffPost states, “Simply put:
diversity improves compan[ies’] bottom lines. Numerous studies have shown that when more
women and people of color have a seat at the table, companies make better-informed decisions
and perform at a higher level” (Marcano, 2016). This means that having a more diverse
workforce will provide a wealth of benefits to the community of Dallas as a whole, including an
economic boost.
(Figure 4)

Source:World Population Review (2018)

Purpose
Over the past few years, Dallas has seen a significant increase in the immigrant population.
According to a report by Texas Demographic Center, “the principal county (Dallas) was the
destination for 42.0 percent of the MSA’s total immigration” (White, S., et al., 2017, p. 6). As a
team, we have decided that we can do several things that will help to diversify the workplace at
Southwest Airlines, as well as the workforce across the DFW area. Our purpose as Southwest
Airlines employees is to create an innovative solution to a socioeconomic problem in the Dallas
area, in this case, the underemployment of immigrant populations and people of diverse ethnic
backgrounds. In order to provide more assistance to this targeted group, we plan to organize
professional development events for immigrants and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds in
DFW to improve workplace ethnic diversity within Southwest and in the Dallas labor force in
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 6 November 8, 2018

general. By starting this program, our hope is to increase the ethnic diversity in the Dallas
workplace and also bring awareness to this often-overlooked problem. According to research
done by McKinsey & Company, “companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are
35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry
medians” (Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. 2015), meaning if we increase workplace ethnic
diversity in the Dallas area, then we can also make a positive impact on the Dallas economy. The
way we plan to make this happen is by providing employment workshops, education training,
and language training, and hosting a career fair, which will be discussed in more detail in the
next section of our proposal.

Plan

How Will We Solve This Issue?

As part of our project, we plan to organize professional development events for people from
immigrant groups and different ethnic backgrounds. According to the Data USA website, “in
2015 the majority of students graduating from institutions in Dallas, TX were white” (n.d.). The
data in Figure 5 indicates that there is a significant difference between the percentage of white
students and students from other ethnicities. We understand that to increase diversity in
workplace we need to decrease the difference between the percentage of white students and
students from other ethnicities. To achieve our goals, we will organize a six-week-long program
that will guide and help the attendees on their professional career path. We have planned out a
four-step employment and professional development training program with the following parts:

1. Education Training
2. Language Training
3. Employment Workshop
4. Career Fair

(Figure 5)

Source: Data USA Dallas, TX (2015)

Dallas Chamber of Commerce 7 November 8, 2018

1. Education Training
This part of the program is one of the first steps we plan to take to encourage people from
different ethnic backgrounds to join the corporate world in the DFW area. We will especially
focus on encouraging students to strive towards enrolling in higher education, where there are
larger gaps. During this program, members from Southwest Airlines will go to school districts in
DFW and talk to students about higher education opportunities and the benefits to their future
careers. This program will be focused not only on college, it will also include information on
certifications that will help students in their intended field of study.

2. Language Training
This part of the program will mainly be focused on people that have difficulty with English,
which will be helpful for recent immigrants. We will have certified educators who will conduct
English training classes. This will not be limited to lectures, but will also include interactive
sections. To make the participants comfortable, each class will have an ethnic theme, with lunch
provided based on this. Educators will talk to groups of people around conference tables instead
of in a classroom-type setting for a friendlier atmosphere. This will bring people from different
ethnicities together and give them a chance to share their experiences. This will also help them
understand different cultures and give them a wider perspective on different ethnic backgrounds.

3. Employment Workshop
This part of the program will focus on providing the participants with the best possible guidance
to become an integral part of the corporate world. We will have trained educators as well as
counselors to help participants break down the entire job search process. Educators will focus on
giving the participants guidance such as tips for finding a job, resume building, writing cover
letters, and other essential job application skills. The educators will also personally review the
participants’ resumes, cover letters, and other documents, and will provide feedback to help
improve them. The counselors, on the other hand, will be available to help answer any questions
the participants might have regarding the job search and application process. They will talk to
willing participants one-on-one to help eliminate their fears or misconceptions related to the
corporate world. On the day of the workshop, the participants will be provided with a box lunch,
and they will also be given various Southwest-branded items such as pens and folders that will
be useful when looking for employment opportunities. At the workshop, we plan to have a
printing booth where participants will be able to print out all necessary documents.

4. Career Fair
This will be the final step of our program. A career fair will be hosted at the Southwest Airlines
corporate headquarters. Qualified participants will have a chance to talk to professionals face-to-
face and gather more information about the company. We will have booths set up for different
departments, which will be staffed by volunteers who are committed to our goal of helping
immigrants in DFW and fostering workplace diversity. The participants will have a chance to
browse open positions within the company and apply on-site with the help of current employees.
While this section of the training is highly encouraged, we will not be monitoring any
participants, so they are free to use their newfound knowledge to apply anywhere they would
like. Our main goal is to make a difference in these peoples’ lives and help the Dallas economy,
rather than simply improving our own company.
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 8 November 8, 2018

How Does This Plan Benefit Dallas?

With the four-step plan we have decided to implement, we will be able to cover all the possible
aspects of professional development training that immigrants and people from diverse
backgrounds may require, with the goal of increasing workplace diversity. According to an
article from The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, when looking at a
period from 1980 to 2020, “the minority portion of the workforce is projected to double from
18% to 37%” (“Fact #1: The U.S., 2005). This program will help support this growing
population, especially in Dallas, and encourage immigrants and people from diverse
backgrounds to join the corporate world. As mentioned in previous sections, this will in turn
improve the economy of Dallas as a whole.

Schedule
Southwest will be implementing this program over the course of six weeks, beginning in January
2019. Figure 6 outlines the time frame and events that will happen over the course of those 6
weeks. We will first take the month of November to plan and organize all the details and sections
of the program effectively. That month will consist of searching for and hiring all the
appropriate instructors and staff for the events that will happen over the six weeks. The month of
December will be used to advertise this event to the Dallas community via the Dallas Chamber’s
competition. The month of January (four weeks) will consist of the education and language
training. These trainings will be conducted Monday through Thursday to allow an ample amount
of time for the training to be effective. The first week of February will consist of the employment
workshop. This will be a two-day event held on Tuesday and Wednesday so that our participants
can have enough time to receive critiques and advice from qualified professionals. The
following week will be the final week of the program. We will hold the Southwest internal career
fair that Wednesday, where attendees can browse the career opportunities that Southwest has to
offer and hear from highly qualified current employees in their respective fields. We believe six
weeks is the perfect amount of time for all of our events to be the most effective for our
participants.

(Figure 6)

Date Event Description

November 2018 Plan and organize all details of event

December 2018 Finalize details & advertise

January 7th - 31st, 2019 Education and language training

February 5th - 6th, 2019 Employment workshop

February 13th, 2019 Southwest career fair

Dallas Chamber of Commerce 9 November 8, 2018

Staffing

Staff Qualifications and Credentials

As the project’s organizers, we are a diverse group of Southwest employees from different
departments within the company, and we each bring our own skill sets and qualifications to this
initiative. Tatiana is from the Accounting department, Jennifer is from the Global Business
department, Bhoomi is from the Marketing department, Maleeha is from the Business Analysis
Department, and Trinity is from the Finance department. Our varied career backgrounds will
allow us to reach out to all departments within Southwest to increase internal employee
participation and volunteering for the events we are hosting. Together, we also have the range of
skills necessary to plan and execute all the facets of a public outreach project. The outside staff
we hire will also require certain credentials. All instructors must be certified to teach the
subjects they will be covering, and we will evaluate these staff members to make sure they meet
our qualifications. We will also require all volunteers to attend a session on diversity training to
make sure they are qualified to help with the program and committed to its goals.

Staffing Requirements
For the series of training and events we will be hosting, we will need to hire or look for
volunteers to take on a range of roles. The first event in the series is education training, where
Southwest employees will reach out to local schools and universities to discuss the importance of
both higher education and skills certifications in one’s field. For this event, we will be seeking
volunteers from within our company who are interested in doing community outreach work.

The second event, a language training workshop, will require us to bring in outside volunteers or
consulting services. We will need to hire instructors who are certified in teaching English as a
secondary language, grammar, and speaking skills. Since we are providing a cultural themed
lunch at each session, we will be reaching out to local restaurants and catering services to
purchase food, drinks, and supplies, such as plates and utensils, in bulk quantities. This will
require us to hire hourly staff to prepare and serve the food on site.

The third event is an employment workshop. Like the second event, the third event will require
us to bring in certified educators who are trained in job skills such as cover letters and resume
writing. These instructors must also be qualified to cover essential skills for employability such
as communication and technology skills (American InterContinental University, 2015). We will
also need to hire counselors to have on hand to answer participants’ questions about difficulties
in the job process and talk to them about eliminating anxieties along the way. The rest of the
event will be handled by volunteers who will help with passing out box lunches and supplies and
running the printing booth.

For the final section of the training, the career fair, we will rely on employees from within our
own company to speak with program graduates about opportunities at Southwest. We will be
looking for those who are committed to increasing diversity in the workplace and donating their
time to speak about what they do in their department and the positions that are available.
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 10 November 8, 2018

Budget and Expenses

Our anticipated budget, broken down by the four sections of the program, is presented in Figure
7 below. We anticipate an attendance of around 1000 people and have budgeted accordingly;
however, we are open to increasing the funding if there is sufficient interest and/or turning the
program into an annual event. Since Southwest Airlines is a large company, we do not need the
money that the Dallas Chamber of Commerce would provide. Instead, if our proposal was
selected, we would request to have the money donated to Heart House Dallas, a local nonprofit
that “provides safety, education, and opportunity to refugee and underprivileged children” in the
area (Heart House Dallas, 2018). We believe this organization’s work is essential to the
wellbeing of these children and the city of Dallas as a whole, and they are more than deserving
of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s recognition and support.

(Figure 7)

Conclusion
Southwest Airlines realizes the importance of appreciating the individual strengths and
experiences each person brings to our company, and working to ensure our employees are both
diverse and committed to fostering diversity. For this reason, we have decided to implement this
four-step plan to encourage immigrants and people from different backgrounds to find a home in
our company and companies around the Dallas area. We place a high value on providing the best
possible opportunities for everyone who crosses our path to strive. This program covers all the
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 11 November 8, 2018

areas needed for success, including education, language, and career building, which combined
together will highly benefit the attendees and increase diversity in the Dallas workforce. We are
confident this project will bring benefits to its participants, our company culture, and the
beautiful city of Dallas as a whole, and we hope to have the support of the Dallas Chamber of
Commerce in furthering our vision.

Respectfully,

Trinity Vincent, Jennifer Santibanez, Maleeha Mohiuddin, Tatiana Hernandez, and Bhoomi Naik
Dallas Chamber of Commerce 12 November 8, 2018

References

American InterContinental University. (2015, August 7). Retrieved October 4, 2018, from
https://www.aiuniv.edu/blog/2015/august/essential-employability-skills

Data USA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2018 from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/dallas-

tx/#demographics

FACT #1: The U.S. Workforce Is Becoming More Diverse. (2005, November). Retrieved
October 6, 2018, from
http://www.highereducation.org/reports/pa_decline/decline-f1.shtml

Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015, January). Why diversity matters. Retrieved September
27, 2018, from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-
insights/why-diversity-matters

Immigrants in Texas. (2018, May 9). Retrieved October 4, 2018, from

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-texas

Heart House Dallas. (2018, August 14). From Chaos to Calm. Retrieved from
http://hearthousedallas.org/our-work-2/

Marcano, B. (2016, June 17). More Companies Should Follow Google's Lead, Invest in
Diversity. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brennon-marcano/more-companies-should-follow-googl
es-lead-invest-in-diversity_b_7588426.html

Schnurman, M. (2018, August 14). ‘How do we protect them?’ Dallas leaders look to help
immigrants and the economy. Retrieved October 4, 2018, from
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/08/14/protect-dallas-leaders-
look-ways-help-immigrants-local-economy

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Dallas city, Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dallascitytexas/PST120217

White, S., et al. (2017). Metropolitan Immigration in Texas. Texas Demographic Center
(October, 2017). Retrieved September 25, 2018, from
http://demographics.texas.gov/Resources/publications/2017/2017_11_14_UrbanTexas.pd
f

World Population Review. (2018, June 03). Retrieved September 26, 2018, from
http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/dallas-population/