Texas Construction Career Pathways, a program run by Texas Climate Jobs Project, offered Travis County residents an opportunity that trains individuals in the construction industry and prepares them to join the workforce within unionized building and construction trades.
Tag: Austin Infrastructure Academy
-
HER Power Summit targets women seeking career opportunities
Opportunity Austin, in collaboration with Con Mi Madre and Dress for Success Austin, will host the HER Power Summit from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Blvd. The event aims to provide 100 women from diverse backgrounds with opportunities to connect with employers and explore career development options. The agenda includes networking sessions with employers and breakout sessions featuring presentations from Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s Infrastructure Academy and career spotlights by Capital Metro and Austin Energy.
-
A Letter to the Mobility + Infrastructure Sector Partnership
From Tamara Atkinson, CEO at Workforce Solutions Capital Area
As we close out 2024, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your incredible support and dedication to the Mobility + Infrastructure Sector Partnership this year. Your hard work and commitment, both individually and collectively, have been instrumental in driving meaningful progress for the M+I sector and our community.
Throughout this year, you have generously shared your time and expertise through various working groups. In particular:
- You played a key role in developing the ‘Making a Living, Making Austin’ slogan, which will help elevate the visibility of infrastructure careers and highlight their vital role in our city’s growth.
- Your efforts have been instrumental in shaping recruitment and pipeline initiatives, with a strong focus on engaging young people and women in these fields. In our initial outreach to young people, we’ve heard from over 1,300 individuals about what they are seeking in a career, and these insights will be invaluable in diversifying and strengthening our workforce for the future.
- The working groups have also focused on identifying transportation solutions to better serve both employers and employees within the M+I space, ensuring that workforce mobility is not a barrier to opportunity.
AUSTIN’S INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY
A particularly exciting development that has emerged thanks to your valuable insights is the concept of the Infrastructure Academy. This idea has now become a reality, with the City of Austin approving the resolution in March and committing $5 million in resources this October to create career-building pathways for individuals seeking to enter the infrastructure sector. Additionally, Austin Community College has stepped up with a commitment to build a best-in-class facility that will support in-person engagement and hands-on training for aspiring workers.
Mid this year, a Design Committee was established to guide the development of the Academy, and your contributions have played a pivotal role in shaping its vision. Along with this committee, we have engaged key stakeholders, employers, training providers, and community-based organizations to inform and refine the academy’s design. These collaborations have ensured that the Academy will be grounded in the real-world needs of both workers and employers in the sector.
Looking ahead, our focus for 2025 will be on bringing the Infrastructure Academy to life, with the goal of making the service delivery model a reality. With your continued support, we are confident that we can create a lasting legacy that will strengthen the infrastructure workforce and provide long-term benefits to the Austin community.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We want to ensure that you are kept informed as we move forward into the new year. To help answer any questions and provide additional clarity, please refer to the FAQ that outlines the latest development. Please take a moment to review it at your convenience, and feel free to reach out with any additional questions.
Also, I’d like to invite you to our upcoming Sector Partnership meeting on January 30th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Workforce Solutions Capital Area North office. This meeting will be an excellent opportunity to discuss our progress, review next steps for 2025, and continue shaping the future of the Infrastructure Academy and the sector as a whole. We look forward to seeing you there!
Thank you once again for your dedication, insight, and partnership. I look forward to working with all of you as we continue to make great strides in the new year.
-
Vocational skills center for homeless opens at Esperanza Community
The Other Ones Foundation, or TOOF, cut the ribbon on a vocational skills center that will serve the homeless population in Austin.
The John Paul DeJoria Vocational Skills Center opened Friday at the Esperanza Community. Its goal is to “host a new approach to homelessness services” by offering vocational training and services, according to a joint release from TOOF and JP’s Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation.
According to TOOF, the services offered at the vocational center are some of the fastest-growing and high-paying trades, as identified by the Workforce Solutions Capital Area (WFSCA).
-
Council OKs contract for new academy to train ‘workforce of the future’
City Council on Thursday approved a $5 million contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to start and manage the Austin Infrastructure Academy for 12 months. In addition to job training, the contract with Workforce Solutions includes the provision of child care services and job placement assistance for mobility and infrastructure related positions. Council approved the contract unanimously with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison absent.
-
City Council approves food plan, cadet housing study, construction contract, more items
Austin City Council held a meeting Thursday to go over multiple items focused on various aspects of city improvements.
The City Council also approved an interlocal contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to create the Austin Infrastructure Academy. The Academy will provide workforce training, and childcare services, plus job placement assistance for Austinites in construction, skilled trades, and operations.
-
City approves $5M to bolster planned Austin Infrastructure Academy
The yet-to-open Austin Infrastructure Academy just received a $5 million boost from the city.
The funding — which will be overseen by Workforce Solutions Capital Area and go towards workforce training, childcare services and job placement assistance — was approved by the City Council during its Oct. 10 meeting.
In March, the council directed city staff to lay groundwork for a program to bolster workforce development in the city, which resulted in the Austin Infrastructure Academy.
-
US Conference of Mayors Supports Local Workforce Development Efforts and the Austin Infrastructure Academy
The United States Conference of Mayors passed a resolution supporting the implementation of workforce development programs for infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the country similar to the Austin Infrastructure Academy. It further resolves that these programs shall serve as a training hub contributing to community-based and union-based training programs designed to support real-time needs identified by both job creators and job seekers.
-
Design underway for Austin Infrastructure Academy following $225K in contributions
Nearly four months after city officials announced a central hub to train and support $25 billion in capital projects through the Austin Infrastructure Academy, Workforce Solutions Capital Area announced $225,000 in contributions to the facility’s design.
WSCA officials announced June 26 that Texas Mutual Insurance Company and Google.org contributed $125,000 and $100,000, respectively, for design.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to Texas Mutual and Google for contributing to the creation of this one-of-a-kind academy for our community that will equip our workforce with the skills and education needed to secure quality careers in mobility and infrastructure,” WSCA CEO Tamara Atkinson said in a news release. “Austin’s infrastructure workforce employs over 222,000 residents and is expected to grow by more than 80% by 2040, so the academy is a critical component to help prepare the current and future infrastructure workforce to meet this high demand.”
-
Austin Infrastructure Academy secures funding to begin design phase
Workforce Solutions Capital Area announced that Texas Mutual Insurance Company and Google.org have made significant contributions to support the design of the Austin Infrastructure Academy.
The contributions, $125,000 from Texas Mutual and $100,000 from Google.org, will fund the program design that will guide strategic direction for the Academy to meet its goal of connecting more local job seekers to career pathways in construction and operations.
The Academy will serve as a central hub that will integrate recruitment, comprehensive and unified training, and wraparound service support for job seekers in Austin’s growing mobility and infrastructure industry.