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Tasha Rhymes, M.S. Ed., is a job seeker who attended the latest Healthcare Job Fair hosted by Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
In this testimonial, Tasha shares how she had conversations with employers who were open and straightforward about their open roles and how they provided Tasha with all the information she needed to be successful with them.
“I’m really excited about my opportunities.”
Learn more about how we connect local people to local jobs.
Austin’s corporate environment feels like it’s growing every day. That’s because in a lot of ways it is – and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
But companies that are growing in the area continue to name workforce as among their biggest barriers, according to Yael Lawson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area. She said the biggest needs are in the skilled trades and healthcare. The manufacturing influx hasn’t reached the needs they expected yet, but they are prepping for that as well.
She said that in 2025, her team found that more than 1,000 people that came to their centers identified as having a disability and 500 enrolled in their programs.
Legacy Kids Academy is a child care provider in Pflugerville participating in the Raising Travis County initiative, a partnership between Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Travis County that helps eligible families access child care assistance. Legacy Kids Academy cares for 30 children receiving care through Child Care Services, and 5 receive Raising Travis County scholarships.
“The increased funding from Travis County has made a real difference in the lives of the children and families we serve. Because of this investment, we were able to improve the quality of our programs, purchase essential materials, and provide stronger support services to families who need them most,” said the center’s director.
“We have seen children become more engaged, confident, and supported, while families feel more connected to resources and opportunities in their community. This funding has helped create safer, more enriching environments where children can learn, grow, and thrive,” she said.
Raising Travis County creates positive impact beyond Legacy Kids Academy and Pflugerville, according to the director:
“The impact of Travis County’s support reaches far beyond our program walls, it is strengthening families and building a brighter future for communities across the county.”
We currently have 445 children receiving care through Raising Travis County, and the initiative has awarded $3.8 million in gap payments to providers, helping them cover the true cost of quality care.
Families across Travis County may qualify for help paying for child care through this initiative. To learn more about Raising Travis County and to join the waitlist, visit rtc.wfscapitalarea.com.
The Austin Infrastructure Academy has earned the 2026 Workforce Excellence Award from the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC). Since 2001, the award has recognized Texas communities that have implemented exceptional workforce initiatives, evaluating recipients on innovation, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measurable objectives, and secondary benefits.
The recognition reflects the Academy’s growing impact as a regional partnership that strengthens both the workforce and the economy by preparing local residents for careers supporting Central Texas’ historic infrastructure investments.
The Austin Infrastructure Academy is a local coalition of partners in government, education, business, and the community working together to grow Austin’s workforce in transportation, construction, and other skilled trades.
We connect local people to training and careers that power Austin’s growth—removing barriers so they can make a living, making Austin.
What we do:
Central Texas is experiencing historic investment in transportation, housing, utilities, aviation, semiconductor manufacturing, and other critical infrastructure. Delivering these projects will require thousands of skilled workers over the coming decades.
Recognizing this need, Mayor Kirk Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Austin Community College, employers, labor organizations, and community partners came together to launch the Austin Infrastructure Academy—a first-of-its-kind regional partnership designed to prepare local residents for careers supporting these transformative projects.
Unlike traditional workforce programs that begin with existing training offerings, the Academy was designed around employer demand. By aligning public infrastructure investment with workforce development, education, and industry, the Academy creates pathways into family-supporting careers while helping employers meet critical workforce needs.
From the very beginning, the Austin Infrastructure Academy has been designed as a human-centered initiative. Workforce development is personal. People don’t just need information—they need guidance, encouragement and someone to help them navigate their next step.
The Academy’s collaborative approach has earned recognition at both the national and state levels.
In 2024, the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution encouraging cities across the country to implement workforce development initiatives similar to the Austin Infrastructure Academy. The resolution recognized the Academy’s integrated approach to bringing together public project sponsors, employers, workforce providers, labor organizations, and supportive services to ensure local residents can benefit from major infrastructure investments.
Now, in 2026, the Texas Economic Development Council has recognized the Academy with its Workforce Excellence Award, highlighting the initiative as an example of how workforce development and economic development work hand in hand to strengthen regional competitiveness.
The Academy’s first year demonstrated strong momentum in connecting residents to opportunity while supporting employers building Central Texas’ future workforce.
Highlights from the Year One Workforce Impact Report include:
Beyond these numbers, the Academy expanded apprenticeship pathways, strengthened employer partnerships, connected residents to high-demand careers, and increased access to supportive services that help participants complete training and enter the workforce.
By coordinating career navigation, training, employer engagement, and supportive services through a single regional partnership, the Academy helps residents access family-supporting careers while strengthening the workforce that underpins Central Texas’ continued growth.
The Academy demonstrates that workforce development is economic development. Through strategic collaboration among public agencies, education, employers, labor organizations, and community organizations, it is creating measurable benefits for workers, employers, and the regional economy.
As the Austin Infrastructure Academy enters its second year, a major milestone lies ahead. Austin Community College’s planned expansion in Southeast Travis County will serve as the future front door to the Austin Infrastructure Academy. Developed in partnership with the City of Austin, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, and many other community partners, the facility will become a regional hub for workforce development, providing hands-on training in construction, manufacturing, automotive technology, HVAC, welding, and other high-demand skilled trades.
Together, continued investment in the Academy and the development of this regional training hub will help ensure Central Texas has the workforce needed to deliver historic infrastructure projects while creating lasting economic opportunity for local residents.
Recognition from both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Texas Economic Development Council underscores the Academy’s growing impact as an innovative model for aligning workforce development with economic development. As Central Texas continues to grow, the Academy will help ensure local residents are prepared to build and benefit from that future.
For more information, read the Austin Infrastructure Academy Year One Workforce Impact Report.
1 Enrolled participants have been accepted into the Austin Infrastructure Academy and receive individualized career navigation, with access to training, supportive services, and job placement assistance based on their needs
2 Unemployment Insurance (UI) data typically reflects a two-quarter reporting delay
3 Median Current Salary: $41,600
The Austin Infrastructure Academy was created due to an expectation the region would need to add tens of thousands of new jobs in the years ahead. After AIA’s first year, the massive demand for jobs has yet to arrive. But the academy still found some early success in connecting employers to workers. Included with this report is a list of the largest construction companies in the region.
Ashley King points to a moment a few years ago that changed everything. That’s when leaders at Workforce Solutions Capital Area and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation traveled to Dallas to get an inside look at an innovative charter school program.
At the time, workforce shortages were crushing the health care industry (Note: they still are).
What they found, however, was a unique proposition: a health care high school preparing students in future careers like nursing, biomedical science, and diagnostic services.
Last year, the Austin-area job market grew faster than any other major metro in the country—adding 27,200 jobs in 2025, which represents 2% year-over-year growth, according to an April 2026 report from Opportunity Austin.
The health care industry is among the fastest-growing, and is expected to grow 2.4% annually, adding about 6,780 workers per year, said Ashley King, director of health care partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
From major transportation projects to airport redevelopment and data center expansion, Central Texas is investing in the infrastructure needed to support a growing region. Meeting that demand will require a strong pipeline of skilled workers across construction, transportation, and the trades.
Key findings from the report include:
Our newest Texas Talent Experts white paper—developed in partnership with Opportunity Austin and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area—explores workforce trends, employer demand, and the strategies helping Central Texas build the talent needed to deliver critical infrastructure projects.
Read the white paper and learn how Central Texas is building the workforce needed to support a growing economy.
Lucy Jones wasn’t sure what she wanted to do this summer, so she decided to ask the internet.
“Honestly, I typed what I wanted to do this summer into ChatGPT, and this (camp) was one of the first few things that came up,” said Jones, a rising junior from Kinston, N.C.
Charlotte Rieske, a rising junior from Dallas, took a similar path to the Longhorn Nursing Camp at the School of Nursing.
“I looked it up on TikTok, because I research everything on TikTok, and I saw a lot of people were really liking it,” Rieske said.
The camp, now in its fourth year, hosts between 58 and 60 students per session. Campers range in age from 15 to 17. Not only does the camp give them a hands-on opportunity to learn the duties and skills of a nurse, but it can also give campers an insight as to whether nursing is the right future.
Grace is a working parent participating in the Raising Travis County initiative, a partnership between Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Travis County that helps eligible families access child care assistance.
In this testimonial, Grace shares what life was like before receiving support, the financial stress of balancing everyday expenses, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing she can now build savings, pay down debt, and focus on her family’s future.
She also offers advice for other parents who may be considering applying for assistance.
“I’m feeling at peace just knowing that I’ll have more of a margin to live on.”
❤️ Topics in this story:
To learn more about Raising Travis County and to get on the waitlist, visit rtc.wfscapitalarea.com.