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Category: In the News

Healthcare apprenticeships available for graduating Austin teens

Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area are partnering with major hospital groups and local clinics to provide on the job training and support classroom learning for Austin teens graduating high school.

Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to apply for a health care apprenticeship; however, applicants must have a high school diploma or general education development certificate in order to sit for the certification exam at the end of the apprenticeship training.

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June 16, 2023
‘Once-in-a-generation opportunity’: Austin mayor applauds $25B in transportation upgrades

Just days after Project Connect developers released a recommendation for the first phase of light rail in Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson praised the “once-in-a-generation opportunity” facing the city on its billions of dollars’ worth of transportation projects.

The multi-billion-dollar Project Connect mass transit system is one component in $25 billion’s worth of enhancements planned across the city, Watson said. Other key projects coming down the pipeline include the upcoming I-35 Capital Express Central project near downtown and the airport expansion plan in the works at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Currently, Workforce Solutions Capital Area is collaborating with ATP on developing a workforce infrastructure action plan, to hone local skilled talent to service Project Connect along with other projects in the works.

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May 25, 2023
More US Women Are Working Than Ever, Reversing Pandemic Slump

Three years ago, a global pandemic triggered a so-called “she-cession,” as millions of women lost their jobs or left the workforce to care for loved ones. Now, they’re leading the recovery.

Companies have more women on their payrolls than ever before, in part because of a steady rise in the share of women ages 25 to 54 who are employed or searching for work.

Tamara Atkinson, who heads up the workforce development board in the Austin area, said that an abundance of jobs and better pay has helped to bring more women into the workforce.

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May 23, 2023
Teen employment on rise in restaurants — here’s what Austin eateries need to know

Teen employment is on the rise in Austin restaurants — a possible salve for labor challenges in an industry that’s still hurting from the pandemic, but one that comes with some unique complications for business owners.

In 2022, there were 1.9 million workers nationwide aged 16 to 19 in “food services and drinking places,” according to annual averages compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was a nearly 12% increase from 2019, even as overall employment in such businesses fell 6% over the same time period, part of a mass exodus of restaurant workers and the closure of scores of eateries across the nation during Covid.

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May 22, 2023
Austin sends nearly $2M to school districts, workforce programs, child care workers
Several funding measures approved by Austin officials May 18 will send around $2 million toward workforce development, child care and early childhood education in Central Texas.

Three contracts totaling $1.85 million will go toward education for aspiring medical workers and training and supporting local child care staff. The items include:
- $1 million to Workforce Solutions Capital Area for child care worker stipends centered on employees in programs serving children on financial scholarships
- $500,000 to Capital IDEA for workforce development services for low-income health care students, including eight pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing and five seeking to become licensed dental hygienists
- $351,270 to Together4Children for workforce development training for child care workers
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May 19, 2023
Area leaders talk Central Texas affordability, workforce solutions at summit

Austin-area city, workforce and financial leaders gathered at Austin PBS on May 17 to review the outlook for the affordability challenge that continues to confront the region amid years of growth and spiking housing costs.

Amplify Credit Union’s first Central Texas Affordability Summit at the Highland media center featured Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and several community leaders for panel discussions about the area’s rising cost of living; its effect on the local workforce; and how businesses, governments and other entities can address the issue.

Event panelists included Watson; Lourdes Zuniga, Financial Health Pathways executive director; Joana Ortiz, Austin Young Chamber president and CEO; and Workforce Solutions Capital Area CEO Tamara Atkinson.

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May 19, 2023
Three takeaways from Wednesday’s summit on affordability in Central Texas

Affordability in Austin has been at the forefront of conversations for years as many residents struggle to afford to live in the area, citing the high housing prices, stagnant wages and other increased cost of living factors, such as childcare and groceries.

On Wednesday, Amplify Credit Union hosted an affordability summit at Austin PBS, bringing together experts in the workforce and finance sectors to discuss the future of affordability in Austin and how to address it.

Panelists Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area; Lourdes G. Zuniga, executive director of Financial Health Pathways; and Joana Ortiz, president and CEO of Austin Young Chamber, said solving affordability issues takes using a people-first approach.

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May 18, 2023
Travis County plans to invest $51 million in these community services. Here’s what to know

Travis County allocated nearly $51 million of remaining Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to assist non-profit organizations and other programs on Monday, in an effort to address ongoing community needs, including food access, childcare and rental assistance.

The money is part of the $247 million Travis County received in American Rescue Plan Act Funds in 2021. The county split its funding into four components that funded emergency assistance programs during the Coronavirus pandemic, including relief funding and public health needs, and supportive housing projects to help solve the county’s homelessness issue.

Money will go to strengthening the local childcare system by partnering with organizations like the United Way and Workforce Solutions Capital Area, that will help fund stipends for childcare providers.

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May 10, 2023
Austin to consider criteria for expanding high-quality, affordable child care programs

Austin city officials have outlined new criteria on the table to help expand affordable child care services citywide.

In a memo released Monday, city leaders released a list of proposed criteria for Austin City Council to consider. Back in early December, council approved a resolution centered on creating affordable, high-quality child care services.

As part of its efforts, city leaders collaborated with the Success By Six coalition members and the Early Childhood Council to help inform recommendations. Additional input from Workforce Solutions Capital Area staff, the city’s Economic Development Department, Financial Services Department – Real Estate and the Housing and Planning Department were also incorporated.

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May 2, 2023
United Way provides resources for affordable child care in Central Texas

Child care in Central Texas can be hard to find – and affordable child care is even harder to locate. But United Way of Greater Austin is helping connect people to resources they can afford.

United Way is a nonprofit that has a community-wide coalition that networks to find high-quality child care, as well as resources to afford it. This network is something that has had a major impact on local providers and local families.

The nonprofit has its Connect ATX call line that helps parents navigate resources like the Workforce Solutions child care program, federally-funded head-start programs through Child Inc., public schools and Pre-K programs.

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April 28, 2023