Tag: Hire Local Plan

The Hire Local evaluation helps Central Texas understand how well workforce education and training programs are supporting people and employers across the region. By tracking enrollment, completion, employment, and earnings, the evaluation offers insight into whether training leads to real opportunity in a region with a high cost of living.

Year Two findings show continued momentum, with growth in participation, strong employment outcomes, and sustained gains in earnings.

Key takeaways within the evaluation period (Oct 2022 – Sept 2023) include:

1. The Regional Workforce Pipeline Continued to Grow

• 16,092 residents enrolled in Hire Local focus industry training programs — up more than 1,200 from Year One.
• Enrollment growth was strongest in business programs and skilled trades & manufacturing.
• The region is building capacity without oversaturating the labor market — completers continue to align with available job openings.

2. More Residents Completed Training, and Most Found Jobs

• 4,681 residents completed training, an increase from Year One.
• 70% of completers found employment in the first quarter after completion.
• Employment rates were strongest in healthcare and skilled trades & manufacturing programs (77% and 74%, respectively).

3. Earnings Gains Were Substantial and Widespread

• 84% of employed completers experienced an increase in income after completing training.
• Median quarterly earnings rose to $9,795 in the first quarter post-completion.
• This represents a $7,029 increase per quarter compared to pre-enrollment earnings.

4. Measuring Success Beyond Poverty Tells a Clearer Story

Rather than relying on a single income benchmark, Hire Local examines multiple earnings thresholds tied to affordability:

• The share of completers earning above 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines doubled (23% → 48%).
• The share able to afford a one-bedroom apartment independently more than tripled (4% → 13%).
• The share earning above the City of Austin living wage doubled.

5. Income Gains Continued Beyond the First Quarter

• One year after completion, 79% of Year One participants were employed.
• Median annual earnings reached $44,824, exceeding projections based on first-quarter wages by 15%.

Read the full report to explore how Hire Local data and Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s performance demonstrate the role of training and wraparound services in supporting long-term economic mobility across Central Texas.

The Hire Local evaluation seeks to understand whether the size and efficacy of the training and completion pipeline meets the region’s needs, and, given the high cost of housing and living, whether those who complete local workforce training and education programs find employment that allows them to live nearby.

This data provides information on workforce education and training enrollment, completion, employment, and earnings intended to begin the process of tracking and understanding the local workforce pipeline. New measurement tools intend to provide a more accurate portrayal of the impact of the workforce system, including change in income, which measures the share of employed completers who experienced an increase in earnings, and earnings distribution, which looks at earnings thresholds beyond poverty (e.g., whether individuals earn enough to afford the rent for a local one-bedroom apartment) to more accurately measure participant perception of program success.

Key takeaways within the evaluation period (Oct 2021 – Sept 2022) include:

• 14,870 residents enrolled in focus industry training and education programs. Nearly half were younger than 21. A near equal share entered skilled trades/manufacturing, healthcare, and business programs, and slightly less entered IT programs.
• 4,548 Austin metro residents completed training. Of them, 71% found employment in a training-related field within the first quarter post-completion, up two points from last year.
• Of Austin’s training completers who found employment, nearly all (85%) experienced an increase in their income in the first quarter post-completion compared to their average quarterly earnings the year prior to enrolling. For those who found employment, their post-program wages increased more than 254%.
• Rather than focus on a single measure of income to determine success, the Hire Local evaluation considers multiple earnings categories to provide a clearer portrait of the success and Austin-area affordability. There is significant evidence that the region’s workforce system as measured by Hire Local is moving in the right direction. For example, the share of individuals able to afford (on their own) the average rental price of a one-bedroom apartment more than tripled from their pre-training employment, from less than 1 in 20 to more than 1 in 10.

Read the 2023 Hire Local Annual Report