The Hire Local evaluation seeks to understand whether the size and efficacy of the training and completion pipeline meets the region’s needs, and, given the high cost of housing and living, whether those who complete local workforce training and education programs find employment that allows them to live nearby.
This data provides information on workforce education and training enrollment, completion, employment, and earnings intended to begin the process of tracking and understanding the local workforce pipeline. New measurement tools intend to provide a more accurate portrayal of the impact of the workforce system, including change in income, which measures the share of employed completers who experienced an increase in earnings, and earnings distribution, which looks at earnings thresholds beyond poverty (e.g., whether individuals earn enough to afford the rent for a local one-bedroom apartment) to more accurately measure participant perception of program success.
Key takeaways within the evaluation period (Oct 2021 – Sept 2022) include:
- 14,870 residents enrolled in focus industry training and education programs. Nearly half were younger than 21. A near equal share entered skilled trades/manufacturing, healthcare, and business programs, and slightly less entered IT programs.
- 4,548 Austin metro residents completed training. Of them, 71% found employment in a training-related field within the first quarter post-completion, up two points from last year.
- Of Austin’s training completers who found employment, nearly all (85%) experienced an increase in their income in the first quarter post-completion compared to their average quarterly earnings the year prior to enrolling. For those who found employment, their post-program wages increased more than 254%.
- Rather than focus on a single measure of income to determine success, the Hire Local evaluation considers multiple earnings categories to provide a clearer portrait of the success and Austin-area affordability. There is significant evidence that the region’s workforce system as measured by Hire Local is moving in the right direction. For example, the share of individuals able to afford (on their own) the average rental price of a one-bedroom apartment more than tripled from their pre-training employment, from less than 1 in 20 to more than 1 in 10.
Read the full report to see how Austin’s Hire Local Plan data and Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s performance proves training and wraparound services are an intermediary to affordability.
