TOMBALL (June 24, 2026) – Today, employers seeking to hire new employees face the challenge of getting to know an applicant beyond the grades on their high school or college transcripts. Recently, members of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Education Design Lab, and Lone Star College-Tomball met with local employers to focus on creating a GPA + Transferable Skills Benchmark or GPA+. In addition to their transcript and resume, students could provide potential employers with their GPA+ score to substantiate their transferable skills, beyond their grade point average.
During the meeting, employers emphasized the need for better ways to assess whether a candidate will be a strong hire after the interview, noting that few employers rely on GPA as a deciding factor.
“Knowing if you’re hiring the right person is hard,” said Bruce E. Hillegeist, Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “I’m looking for people who will be on time, who take initiative, who see what needs to be done, and without being asked, they take care of it. I’m looking for commitment. If you’re in HR, if you’re interviewing, you need X-ray vision to determine if the person in front of you will be a good employment fit.”
To create the GPA+, LSC-Tomball is partnering with the Reimagining Community College Design Challenge (RCC), a national initiative led by the Education Design Lab. Guided by the Education Design Lab’s human-centered approach, LSC-Tomball shared the GPA+ concept with employers and sought their feedback and input.
“It’s an interesting idea,” said Jared Mounce, Chick-fil-A Restaurants Talent Director. “The cool part about the GPA+ measurement idea is how it could fit with our other vetting processes. I also see it as a great starting place for an employee who is interested in moving into leadership.”
With employers' insights, the Education Design Lab and LSC-Tomball hope to uncover GPA+ problems and successes and will fine-tune the model before implementation.
“We want to help employers make good hires, and we want our students to become better employees,” said Dr. Bill Simcik, LSC-Tomball Biology professor. “The broader goal beyond helping them become transfer and career ready is to see students flourish in all dimensions of life. We’re thankful to all the employers who took time out of their busy schedule to support LSC-Tomball in accomplishing that goal.”
More information about the LSC–Tomball GPA + Transferable Skills Benchmark and work being done with the Reimagining Community College Design Challenge is available at Lonestar.edu/tomball3-0.
Lone Star College-Tomball is located at 30555 Tomball Parkway in Tomball between Zion Road and Baker Road. For more information about the college, call 281.351.3300 or visit LoneStar.edu/Tomball.