Healthcare is a growing industry in Central Texas and many young people here are interested in a healthcare career. They may not know exactly what they want to do, however. So, to help inspire the next generation of skilled healthcare workers, we joined the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership to host the first Respiratory Care Academy on Oct. 16 at Texas State University Round Rock.
Respiratory Care (RC) is an in-demand job, with very few higher-education programs available in the Central Texas region. For the first RC Academy, 34 students were accepted from 16 different high schools in Austin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Georgetown, Hutto, Leander and Manor ISDs, in addition to KIPP.
Students had the opportunity to learn more about the career, hear from current Texas State University RC students, and engage in hands-on experiences like basic airway management, bag-mask ventilation, oxygen delivery, neonatal resuscitation, and more.
The Central Texas Healthcare Partnership was founded in early 2018 under the leadership of three Central Texas healthcare industry leaders: Baylor Scott & White Health, Ascension Seton, and St. David’s HealthCare. The Partnership’s mission is to sustain and grow the Central Texas healthcare industry while expanding pathways to good jobs for local residents. WFS Capital Area provides staff support to assist with the coordination of the partnership.
WFS Capital Area participates in multiple industry sector partnerships. These are a proven and employer-led workforce development strategy. With employers leading the conversation, companies across the U.S. have seen positive impacts on company growth and retention. Industry-specific executives within the Austin labor market work together to influence alignment around common solutions with awareness, training, hiring, and upskilling. Learn more about our industry sector partnerships.
As another fiscal year comes to a close, we’re looking back at 10 moments that helped shape workforce development across Austin and Travis County.
FY26 was a year of connecting more local people to opportunity and working with employers, educators and community partners to strengthen the talent pipelines our region depends on.
From personalized support for job seekers and families to new pathways into in-demand occupations, these moments show what workforce development looks like when people have someone in their corner, a path forward and the support to take their next step.
Here are 10 moments that stood out.
10. We invested in the manufacturing leaders of tomorrow
Workforce Solutions Capital Area invested in the skills of Central Texas’ existing manufacturing workforce through incumbent worker training.
In partnership with the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, we invested $18,000 to help 12 employees from four local manufacturers (Athena Manufacturing, Acutronic, Cypress Technologies and White Rock Manufacturing) strengthen their supervisory skills through training delivered by the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center.
Why it matters: Helping employers develop talent from within creates opportunities for workers to advance while strengthening the leadership pipeline local manufacturers need to grow.
9. We put the people behind our workforce system at the center of the story
This year, we began sharing firsthand stories from the people who experience our workforce system every day.
Job seekers, employers, child care providers and parents shared how career guidance, training, child care and other workforce services helped them take their next step.
Why it matters: The numbers tell part of our story. Hearing directly from the people behind them shows what workforce development can mean for a career, a family or a business.
8. More than 850 early childhood professionals came together at SHINE
At the SHINE Symposium, held in partnership with Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, more than 850 early childhood professionals came together for professional development, resources and opportunities to connect with others across the child care community.
Why it matters: Supporting early childhood professionals strengthens the child care system that local families and our broader workforce depend on.
7. We launched Workforce Industry Insights to spotlight Central Texas’ growing industries
In partnership with Opportunity Austin and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, we launched Workforce Industry Insights, bringing workforce data and regional expertise together to examine the talent needs shaping some of Central Texas’ fastest-growing industries.
Through white papers, case studies and data reports, the partnership provides employers with insights into hiring trends, workforce needs and the regional strategies helping build talent pipelines across Central Texas.
Why it matters: Giving employers a clearer picture of our region’s workforce helps local businesses plan for their talent needs while showcasing Central Texas’ ability to support industries looking to grow here.
6. Yael Lawson was named CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area
Her appointment marked a new chapter for Workforce Solutions Capital Area as we continue bringing employers, educators, community organizations and public partners together around our region’s workforce needs.
5. More than 100 high school seniors got Next Level Ready
More than 100 high school seniors from Austin ISD, Elgin ISD, Manor ISD and Pflugerville ISD participated in Next Level Ready, connecting students preparing for life after high school with local employers, educators and workforce organizations.
Students came prepared with resumes, professional attire and elevator pitches before meeting directly with participating organizations. They also heard presentations from Amplify Credit Union and Austin SHRM and had an opportunity to receive a professional headshot.
Why it matters: Connecting students directly with employers and helping them practice the skills they’ll need gives young people a clearer next step as they move from high school into work or continued education.
4. Regional partners launched the Central Texas Healthcare Academy
This year, regional partners launched the Central Texas Healthcare Academy, creating new opportunities for high school students to begin preparing for healthcare careers before graduation.
Developed by the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership, the Academy allows students to begin healthcare training while still in high school, completing prerequisites and co-requisites for pathways including nursing, Surgical Tech, Radiology Tech and Health Information Technology.
Why it matters: Central Texas employers need more healthcare professionals, while students need clearer pathways into those careers. Starting healthcare training earlier can help students build a path toward in-demand careers while strengthening the region’s future healthcare workforce.
3. The Austin Infrastructure Academy earned statewide recognition
The Austin Infrastructure Academy earned statewide recognition for its collaborative approach to preparing local residents for careers connected to the region’s major 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. The Academy connects local people to training and careers that power Austin’s growth—removing barriers so they can make a living, making Austin.
Why it matters: The Academy connects local people to careers created by our region’s infrastructure investments while helping employers build the skilled workforce needed to deliver those projects.
2. Travis County launched a $21 million investment to expand child care access
Through Raising Travis County, Travis County launched a $21 million investment to expand access to affordable child care and strengthen the providers families depend on. Through the initiative, Workforce Solutions Capital Area is expanding child care scholarships for local families while delivering gap funding to providers, helping make care more affordable for families and more sustainable for the programs that serve them.
As of August 5:
577 children were enrolled in Raising Travis County scholarships
132 child care providers were receiving gap payments
$4.2 million in gap payments had been distributed to providers
Why it matters: Child care can be one of the biggest barriers between a parent and their next opportunity. Expanding access helps parents work, train and advance while supporting the providers who make that possible.
1. We marked one year of impact through the Austin Infrastructure Academy
One year after its launch, the Austin Infrastructure Academy is showing how career navigation, training and support can connect local residents with the workforce opportunities created by our region’s infrastructure investments.
Enrolled 1,654participants into the Austin Infrastructure Academy
Awarded 210 training scholarships
Helped 142 residents become employed or advance their careers
Behind those numbers are local residents receiving career coaching, training and other support designed around real workforce demand.
Why it matters: The Austin Infrastructure Academy aligns career navigation, training and support with employer demand, helping local residents build a path toward the jobs being created by our region’s infrastructure investments.
See more of our impact
These 10 moments capture only part of what local job seekers, employers, families, students and partners accomplished together this year.
For a deeper look at the results behind our workforce system, explore our recently released FY25 Impact Report, highlighting outcomes across job seeker services, employer engagement, child care and our future workforce.
As we begin FY27, we’re carrying forward the partnerships, lessons and momentum of the past year as we continue our mission to support and connect local people to local jobs.
When Christelle moved to Austin as a single mom, she was starting over in a new city without family nearby. Ready to take the next step in her healthcare career, she found Workforce Solutions Capital Area and connected with a career advisor who helped her move forward.
Christelle completed training, earned her certification and was hired within two months into a career she describes as rewarding, with good pay and a positive environment. Now, she’s already thinking about her next goal and continuing her education.
Through it all, Christelle says having a career advisor who communicated with her and was there to answer questions made a difference. Her message to anyone trying to get back on their feet: keep reaching out, don’t give up hope and keep pushing.
Central Texas’ healthcare workforce continues to grow, but so does the challenge of preparing enough people to meet the region’s needs.
At the second annual State of Healthcare Workforce Forum, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, and St. David’s Foundation brought together healthcare employers, educators, workforce leaders, funders and community partners to take stock of the progress of the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership and focus on what comes next.
From state policy and artificial intelligence to education capacity, career pathways and student supports, speakers returned throughout the morning to a common challenge: Central Texas has strong interest in healthcare careers and strategies that are already building the workforce. The opportunity now is to remove the barriers that keep those strategies from reaching more people.
Texas State Rep. Donna Howard delivers the keynote address at the 2026 State of Healthcare Workforce Forum.
A workforce challenge decades in the making
Texas State Rep. Donna Howard, a former critical care nurse, opened her keynote by reflecting on a healthcare workforce challenge she has been working on since shortly after joining the Legislature nearly 20 years ago.
At the time, state projections were already warning that demand for nurses could outpace supply. While Texas has since invested in loan forgiveness, nursing education and other workforce strategies, Howard said the underlying challenge remains — and now extends well beyond nursing to other healthcare occupations.
Recent legislative action has begun tackling some of the structural barriers behind that shortage. Howard highlighted new efforts to coordinate statewide healthcare workforce data, study regional systems for clinical placements, streamline nursing-school applications, support nurse preceptors and expand faculty loan repayment and nursing-education innovation grants.
But she also emphasized that education and workforce systems need to connect more intentionally.
Howard said she plans to continue pursuing policies that align high school and dual-credit healthcare programs with college requirements and industry-recognized credentials, helping students stack credentials instead of repeating coursework. She also called for stronger coordination between state agencies and local workforce boards.
And she pointed to Central Texas as evidence of what that coordination can accomplish.
Through efforts such as the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership, Howard said the region is demonstrating a model for addressing healthcare workforce shortages through collaboration among workforce organizations, employers and education partners.
Dr. Edward Burger of St. David’s Foundation moderates a panel with institutions building health talent pipelines for Central Texas, including Dr. Julie Lessiter of Texas State University Round Rock, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart of Austin Community College, and Alyssia Palacios-Woods of Capital IDEA.
Interest is strong. Capacity has to catch up.
The conversations that followed reinforced that Central Texas does not have a shortage of people interested in healthcare careers.
Austin Community College has approximately 9,000 students on pre-health science pathways competing for about 1,100 available program slots. Texas State University Round Rock reported approximately 600 nursing applicants for 150 slots.
The constraint is often what happens in between — particularly clinical placements, simulation space, faculty capacity and the cost of operating healthcare programs.
ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart said the college could potentially double healthcare-training capacity with sufficient clinical availability. Texas State Round Rock Vice President Dr. Julie Lessiter similarly pointed to simulation labs and clinical rotations as major constraints on expanding nursing enrollment.
That same challenge surfaced in the regional workforce outlook. Workforce Solutions leaders noted that healthcare employment has grown 28% since 2019, with another 14,000 new jobs projected by 2031 before accounting for turnover. Roughly 1,800 RN and LVN openings are projected each year, while employers also need large numbers of medical assistants, nursing assistants and other entry-level workers.
Workforce Solutions Capital Area CEO Yael Lawson and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area CEO Paul Fletcher deliver opening remarks at the 2026 State of Healthcare Workforce Forum.
Supporting the student means supporting the workforce
Another takeaway from the forum was that tuition alone does not determine whether someone completes healthcare training.
Working adults and first-generation students may be balancing housing costs, transportation, child care, food insecurity and lost wages while completing coursework and required clinical hours.
The impact of addressing those barriers is measurable. ACC reported that students receiving child care scholarships have an 81% persistence rate, compared with approximately 60% overall. Students using the college’s food pantry also persist at rates above the college average.
Capital IDEA Executive Director Alyssia Palacios-Woods, CFRE shared a similar whole-person approach. The organization currently supports approximately 1,000 students through tuition, fees, books, wraparound assistance and career navigation, with 85% pursuing healthcare careers.
These examples reinforce that transportation, child care, emergency assistance and career navigation are not separate from workforce development. They can determine whether an interested student ultimately becomes a qualified healthcare professional.
Creating more ways into — and through — healthcare careers
The forum also highlighted the importance of building career pathways that do not depend on a single entry point.
Healthcare apprenticeships have expanded earn-and-learn options beyond traditional skilled trades. Workforce Solutions leaders highlighted the region’s certified medical assistant apprenticeship as an especially popular model that has created jobs while allowing people to earn wages during training.
Regional partners are also working to create clearer pathways from entry-level healthcare occupations into higher-wage careers through stackable credentials and credit for prior learning.
And those pathways are starting earlier.
The Central Texas Healthcare Academy, developed by the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership, is designed so students can begin healthcare training while still in high school. Students will complete their pre-requisites and co-requisites for pathways including nursing, surgical tech, radiology tech, and health information technology.
S. Craig Watkins of the The University of Texas at Austin moderates a panel on AI in the healthcare workforce, featuring Stacey Beason-Burklund of St. David’s HealthCare, Phil Kendzior of Baylor Scott & White Health, and Phillip LaJoie of Ascension Technologies.
AI may change the work, without removing the human
The forum also looked ahead to how artificial intelligence could reshape healthcare work.
Panelists described AI tools already helping clinicians draft documentation, screen job applicants and manage administrative work. The common thread was less about replacing healthcare professionals and more about giving clinicians time back for patients, teams and higher-value work.
That transition will require new skills. Panelists emphasized AI literacy, understanding when to trust or verify a tool’s output, change management and strong human oversight. They also stressed that governance, privacy and transparency will be essential as AI becomes more integrated into healthcare settings.
The goal, as the panel described it, is augmentation rather than replacement: using technology to support clinical expertise, improve patient experience and help healthcare professionals spend more time doing the work that brought them into the field.
Proof that rural investment can work
Bastrop County Public Health Department Executive Director Donna Nichols offered a clear example of what these ideas look like in practice, particularly in rural communities.
Through the Create a Job, Save a Job initiative, funded by St. David’s Foundation, 170 Bastrop County residents enrolled in healthcare training during the program’s first year. 102 graduated and 77 secured employment, including EMTs, CNAs, phlebotomists, mental health counselors, RNs and LVNs — many in Bastrop County itself.
The program paired approximately $340,000 in tuition assistance with support for transportation, equipment, housing and other barriers. Its case-management approach was also identified as a key part of helping participants stay on track.
The example shows what can happen when identifying workforce demand is followed by building pathways and helping people successfully move through them.
The opportunity: scale what works
The forum did not point to one solution for Central Texas’ healthcare workforce challenge. It pointed to many: more clinical placements, expanded simulation capacity, apprenticeships, stronger K–12 pathways, stackable credentials, student supports, employer engagement and better coordination across institutions.
What connects those strategies is partnership.
As the forum closed, Workforce Solutions leaders emphasized that some of the region’s strongest progress has come from bringing employers that normally compete for talent to the same table with educators, community organizations and workforce partners to solve shared problems.
The opportunity now is to take what is working and build it to scale — creating a stronger, more connected healthcare workforce system that can keep pace with the needs of a growing region.
Go deeper into the data
Two recently released resources provide additional context behind many of the workforce trends discussed at the forum.
Healthcare remains one of Central Texas’ most in-demand industries, creating career opportunities across a range of occupations, education levels and wages. Meeting continued employer demand will require strong career pathways and coordination across healthcare employers, educators and workforce partners.
Key findings from the report include:
More than 4,200 annual openings are projected through 2031 across six priority healthcare occupations
Registered nurses lead projected demand with nearly 1,500 annual openings, while nursing assistants follow with nearly 1,200
Many high-demand healthcare careers require a certificate or associate degree, with median annual wages across the six priority occupations ranging from approximately $38,000 to $94,000
Regional employers report hiring needs beyond published labor market estimates, reinforcing the need for continued collaboration to strengthen the healthcare talent pipeline
Our newest Texas Talent Experts white paper—developed in partnership with Opportunity Austin and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area—explores healthcare workforce trends, in-demand career pathways and regional efforts to prepare the next generation of healthcare talent.
Highlights include the Central Texas Healthcare Academy, developed by the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership convened by Workforce Solutions Capital Area, along with other investments in hands-on career exploration and healthcare training across the region.
Read the white paper and learn how Central Texas is building the workforce needed to support a growing economy.
The Central Texas Healthcare Partnership is solving local healthcare shortages by utilizing earn and learn opportunities such as apprenticeships. One occupational shortage that our industry leaders identified was Certified Medial Assistant (CMA).
The Challenge: A Growing Demand for Medical Assistants
Just a few years ago, the shortage of CMAs was substantial in the Austin metro area. Employers reported having over 50 job openings at any given time. This shortage was compounded by the fact that local training providers were not graduating enough students to fill the occupation shortage. This led to employers competing over candidates and shortages for all regional healthcare providers.
The Solution: Apprenticeships That Work
In 2019, the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership partnered with Austin Community College and Innovative Workforce Projects to create national accredited Certified Medical Assistant registered the apprenticeships with the Department of Labor, and started offering apprenticeships to local residents.
Program Goals
Hire individuals with no prior healthcare experience and provide paid on-the-job training as Certified Medical Assistants.
Upskill current employees who were ready to advance their careers and add additional certification and responsibilities to retain current staff.
Add additional CMAs to our community to decrease shortages and reduce job openings.
Key Partners & Employers
Based on employer input and request for a Medical Assistant talent pipeline, we began leveraging our partnerships with Austin Community College and Innovative Workforce Projects that were vital to the success of the apprenticeships.
Once we built the apprenticeship framework with our partners, we introduced local employers to the benefits of the apprenticeship model for this non-traditional industry. Four employers signed on to implement the CMA Apprenticeship program: Ascension Seton, Austin Region Clinic, Baylor Scott & White Health, and CommUnityCare.
Workforce Solutions Capital Area also secured and leveraged multiple grants awarded to us by the Texas Workforce Commission that were imperative to fund and grow these apprenticeship programs.
Impact to Date
The healthcare industry has enrolled and hired 334 healthcare apprentices as Medical Assistants from September 2019 through December 2024. Enrollment for the CMA apprenticeship has grown significantly, with the largest increase occurring in 2022, when participation surged by 311% compared to the previous year.
Our healthcare providers have hired on average five CMA apprentices per month for the past five years thanks to this new recruitment and training strategy.
“The apprenticeship allows for clinics to support and develop community members into Certified Medical Assistants, thus improving the employment pathway and the pipeline from underserved populations into the Ascension network. The apprenticeship is helping stabilize the CMA workforce and is producing associates functioning at Ascension Gold Standards which are now highly sought by managers across Ascension clinics.”
Yesenia Renzi, RN Program Coordinator Ascension Seton
Workforce Solutions Capital Area and our Central Texas Healthcare Partnership continues to support the growth of healthcare apprenticeships to fill the workforce needs in this critical industry.
Grow your business through talent: Workforce Solutions is uniquely positioned to help employers of all industries directly connect with local job seekers and talent. We’re collaborative and can tailor services based on your company’s needs. Get started.
Frank Garcia with the City of Austin Housing Authority attended the latest Healthcare Job Fair hosted by Workforce Solutions Capital Area and hired a maintenance technician on the spot.
In this testimonial, Frank shares how he met many people with great skill sets and hired a job seeker on the spot.
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.
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.
