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Category: Newsroom

  • Central Texas leaders target regional workforce gains with major infrastructure projects on the way

    Central Texas leaders target regional workforce gains with major infrastructure projects on the way

     

    Central Texas leaders are promoting the region’s unique workforce opportunities and potential for greater partnership along the I-35 corridor as the Austin and San Antonio areas ramp up major infrastructure programs that will stretch on over the years ahead.

    During an Oct. 12-13 summit hosted by Workforce Solutions Capital Area in Austin, officials promoted the first-ever mobility workforce study conducted for the region and shared their thoughts on how Central Texas employers and residents can take advantage of what’s to come.

    Go deeper.

     

  • How many jobs will Austin’s mobility workforce add in the next 20 years?

    How many jobs will Austin’s mobility workforce add in the next 20 years?

     

    Findings from Austin’s first mobility and infrastructure workforce study released Thursday will help guide the Central Texas area as it gears up for a slew of large-scale mobility projects in development and on the horizon.

    Over the next two decades, the study found the Austin metro area will increase jobs within the mobility and infrastructure sectors by nearly 97,000 positions, up 39%. However, when factoring in major projects in development — including the Project Connect light rail system, the Interstate 35 project near downtown and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport expansion — that job creation jumps 81% to 181,000 new jobs, said Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

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  • Now Accepting Child Care Workforce Representative Nominations

    Now Accepting Child Care Workforce Representative Nominations

    Workforce Solutions Capital Area is seeking nominations from interested and qualified individuals to serve on its Board of Directors as a Child Care Workforce Representative. We will interview qualified applicants whose nominations are received by the deadline of October 18, 2023 at 5:00pm CT. The final appointment decision will be made by Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

    Learn more and make your nomination here.

  • Mobility and Infrastructure Leadership Group

    Mobility and Infrastructure Leadership Group

     

    A new group of community leaders is launching large-scale changes within mobility and infrastructure industries in central Texas. The goal is to connect local people with thousands of jobs and careers. Sarah Garza, director of Mobility Industry Partnerships for Workforce Solutions Capital Area gives us insight.

    Watch on YouTube.

     

  • Amplify CU Is Thinking Big With New Banking Program

    Amplify CU Is Thinking Big With New Banking Program

     

    After a summer of record-breaking heat in Austin, Texas, officials with the $1.4 billion Amplify Credit Union are once again turning up the temperature on the competition with a new banking program that will dispatch personal bankers and lenders throughout Central Texas.

    The Austin-based Amplify has partnered with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to pilot the new service which aims to remove barriers to receiving financial assistance and education services in a way that the credit union comes to the member – not the other way around.

    Go deeper.

     

  • Workforce Solutions to Host Nursing Academy

    Workforce Solutions to Host Nursing Academy

     

    On Tuesday, September 26, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, and the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership (represented by Baylor Scott & White Health, Ascension Seton and St. David’s HealthCare) will host a nursing academy for junior and high school students in the Central Texas area.

    This event will allow students from Austin, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Georgetown, Hays, Leander, Lockhart, Pflugerville and Round Rock ISDs, as well as local charter schools and American YouthWorks, to explore nursing career paths, along with hands-on opportunities in Austin Community College’s simulation labs to experience wound care, injections, and IV lines.

    The nursing shortage is the largest gap in employment for healthcare, and the event is designed to help inspire the next generation of skilled healthcare workers, as well as spotlight the value nurses provide to our community.

    Go deeper.

     

  • Celebrating Tamara Atkinson, Women in Business Finalist

    Celebrating Tamara Atkinson, Women in Business Finalist

    Austin Business Journal on Aug. 31 revealed the 11 winners and 19 finalists for the 2023 Women in Business Awards.

    The women span industries from technology to media, real estate to nonprofits, and include business owners, CEOs and senior executives.

    Finalist Tamara Atkinson, Workforce Solutions Capital Area CEO, stood out to the judges because of her career and community impact.

    Tamara Atkinson has unique insight into the workforce needs of Central Texas. As CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area, she is a conduit between employers and jobseekers. She empowers women to find better jobs, prioritizing affordable child care for mothers learning new skills.

    Q: What is your leadership style?
    A:
    I strive to lead by example. When we work together and truly invest in our goals, we can make a great difference in our community. We reorganized our performance evaluation process and transitioned to catalytic coaching and have seen great success with this approach. We allocate a professional development budget for each staff member in recognition that every employee wants to grow professionally and personally.

    Q: How do you lead in your company and community?
    A:
    When I came back to this community after living abroad for five years, I came back with my oldest daughter who was very sick. This community gave my family and me a chance. I got a job and was able to advance based on my hard work and contributions. This community helped me care for my daughters and work at the same time. I enjoy preparing and connecting people to jobs because obtaining a quality job changed my life.

  • What’s the plan for Austin’s economy-growers now?

    What’s the plan for Austin’s economy-growers now?

     

    When it comes to labor, the biggest challenge is having the skilled labor to fill available positions, said Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area. From 2021 to 2026, job growth in the region is forecasted to grow 12.5%, which is nearly three times more than what’s projected for the U.S.

    It’s on regional partners to make sure companies in industries that are expanding can fill those jobs with training, upskilling or apprenticeships. She called economic and workforce development “two sides of the same coin.”

    Go deeper.

     

  • Austin metro unemployment rate hits nearly 4% in July

    Austin metro unemployment rate hits nearly 4% in July

     

    The unemployment rate in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan statistical area hit 3.8% in July, as reported by the Texas Workforce Commission on Aug. 18.

    The rate represents nearly 55,400 unemployed residents and is up from 3.5% in May and June.

    According to representatives with the Workforce Solutions Capital Area, the health care industry is experiencing a “pressing issue” of workforce shortages, especially in nursing and various entry-level and middle-skill positions.

    Go deeper.

     

  • Central Texas leaders back plan to boost construction, transportation workforce

    Central Texas leaders back plan to boost construction, transportation workforce

     

    Local officials and transportation entities announced Aug. 17 the next steps for a Central Texas workforce plan aimed at getting thousands of locals into the infrastructure jobs pipeline that’s expected to flourish over the coming years.

    Members of the Mobility and Infrastructure Leadership Group include Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, other city and county officials, local labor and education leaders, and construction industry representatives. Capital Metro, the Austin Transit Partnership and the jobs group Workforce Solutions Capital Area are supporting the initiative.

    Go deeper.