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.
Category: In the News
-
As region booms, Austin nonprofit aims to fill the workforce gap for adults with disabilities
-
Austin Infrastructure Academy helps more than 1,500 locals find careers in first year
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.
-
Local Organizations Propel Next Generation’s Shift to Trade Work
Last month, ACC purchased a 560,000-square-foot facility for its new Southeast Austin campus, making additional space for its workforce training programs and the university’s Infrastructure Academy. The academy launched in 2025 in collaboration with the city, ACC, and Workforce Solutions Capital Area, a nonprofit supporting individuals in their search for local jobs. The academy is intended to help properly prepare students to meet the growing demand for workers for large-scale construction efforts like the I-35 and light rail expansions and the convention center redevelopment. The rapid, controversial emergence of data centers in Texas is also driving demand for skilled labor.
-
Journal Profile: Yael Lawson plans to use connection to boost Austin’s workforce
Yael Lawson views her role as a connector in the Austin community to bolster both working people and needs of businesses.
Lawson is the relatively new CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area, a nonprofit that’s tasked with finding ways to get locals good-paying jobs in the Austin area.
“We’re a convener and collaborate on how we bring organizations together to collaborate, and so I really want to focus on that,” Lawson said.
-
ACC joining Austin-area schools for new healthcare academy
Austin Community College is collaborating with area schools to connect students to medical careers through the Central Texas Healthcare Academy.
-
New program gives high school students dual credit options in healthcare
Thousands of students in Central Texas will have access to training and education that will set them up for a healthcare career, starting in the fall.
The Austin Community College District and Workforce Solutions Capital Area on Monday announced the launch of the Central Texas Healthcare Academy, which will be available to students within the Pflugerville Independent School District and Hays Consolidated Independent School District starting in the fall of 2026.
-
It used to take 2 years to get affordable childcare in Travis County. Now, it’s taking months
Travis County is working with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, the nonprofit that also manages the state’s affordable childcare list, to connect families with Raising Travis County scholarships.
Marjorie Vese Villafranco, a family services manager for Workforce Solutions, said the funding is coming at a crucial time for new parents.
-
Travis County approves $17.6M in childcare contracts to expand access
Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday approved millions in contracts that they said would expand childcare access in the county, with a particular focus on after-school and summer programs, as part of a funding initiative voters approved in 2024.
The contracts with more than a dozen local nonprofits — including United Way for Greater Austin, Austin Sunshine Camps, Latinitas and the Greater Austin YMCA — collectively represent a $17.65 million investment in childcare across the county.
-
Travis County approves $17.6M expansion of childcare programs
Travis County commissioners voted Tuesday on more than $17 million in new contracts aimed at expanding childcare, after‑school programs and summer opportunities for families across the county.
The $17.65 million investment fund contracts with 13 community partners through the Raising Travis County initiative, which was approved by voters to increase access to affordable, high‑quality childcare and out‑of‑school time programs.
-
2026 hasn’t been a banner year for infrastructure jobs, workforce leaders say
It’s been projected that Austin has needed to add tens of thousands infrastructure and mobility jobs to meet workforce demands. But in 2026, workforce development leaders say the demand for these jobs hasn’t been as strong as expected.