New Austin program helps connect residents with jobs as city begins major construction projects

From KUT News:

Before Jennifer Cobb became an electrician, she worked as a receptionist in a doctor’s office in the Austin area. She was making about $16 an hour and raising two boys, which meant money was tight. She had to rely on government assistance to help make ends meet.

“Sometimes I didn’t know how my kids were going to eat,” Cobb said. “I was having eviction notices put on my door. My car almost got repoed a couple of times. I actually had other cars repoed.”

But suddenly she was let go, and that presented an opportunity. Her brother, who is an electrician, had been in her ear about becoming one, talking up the increase in pay and the opportunities to grow.

Before she knew it, she found herself at Skillpoint Alliance, which offers free construction and infrastructure training, including a program to become an electrician in just a few weeks.

Once she completed the training, the school connected her with a job. Six years later, she is still a journeyman electrician with Facility Solutions Group, a commercial electrical contractor.

“I have a team of my own,” she said. “I lead them throughout the day. It’s a lot of paperwork. It’s a lot of meetings. And when I need to, I put on my tools and get up there and do the work just as my apprentices do.”

Skillpoint Alliance is one of the many partners the city is working with through the new Austin Infrastructure Academy. The city set aside $5 million this budget year for the program, a hub where Austinites can be connected to training for jobs in skilled trades like electrician, plumber and carpenter. The program also helps people find jobs in these fields.

Austin will see an increased need for workers in construction jobs over the next several years as the city takes on several major projects, like the redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center, the airport expansion and the Project Connect transit plan. Upcoming projects are expected to create 10,000 new jobs annually.

A study from local consulting firm CivicSol found that Austin would be short around 4,000 workers a year as these projects progress.

Laura Huffman, who helped conduct the study, said the data helped the city realize something needed to change to help fill those jobs.

“If we were not thinking about how we were going to recruit and train and connect workers to employers differently, we’d never solve the gap,” she said. “It was just that simple.”

Huffman, who helped the city create the academy, said that meant removing barriers that prevent people from working — things like a lack of transportation, access to child care, and the money and time it takes to get trained.

“So if a young person comes in and the first problem they’ve got to attack is child care,” she said, “then the first thing we need to do is connect them to the resources that are available to provide child care support.”

Another piece of the puzzle is connecting people with jobs once they finish the training and get certified. Through the Austin Infrastructure Academy, the city is working to do both.

In March, the city launched the academy with a career fair at Workforce Solutions in North Austin. Dozens of employers were on site to help people learn about job opportunities.

Dylan Russell was recruiting workers for Cleared Direct, the company that manages the south terminal of the airport. He spoke with people about the different jobs it offers, from safety and security to building maintenance.

“A lot of our jobs, they don’t require a whole lot of experience,” Russell said. “We have a very comprehensive training program. So what we are looking for is someone who is reliable and consistent.”

Stacy Morgan Torres attended the job fair with high hopes. In March, he had been working behind the bar at Rodeo Austin, but he was looking for a change. He turned to Workforce Solutions and the Austin Infrastructure Academy for help.

“Now I have a career advisor who is going to be helping me,” Torres said. “I want to do HVAC. I want to get that under my belt, and it’s something new that I would like to start doing.”

There were lots of opportunities for people to consider, including options for people who want to learn and work at the same time. Austin Community College will play a huge role in offering those earn-to-learn opportunities.

Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart said the college already offers programs that lead to degrees in skilled trades, including in construction. But now those programs will be integrated with the Austin Infrastructure Academy. The academy will even have its own dedicated space at ACC’s Southeast Travis County campus.

“It will be a state-of-art $200-$250 million campus that will house all of these infrastructure programs,” Lowery-Hart said.

In addition to classrooms, the campus will make space for union and employer partners to connect students with jobs and other resources like child care, food and transportation, he said.

Since taking office in 2023, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson promised to address issues around affordability. He said building a strong, skilled workforce is key. But he says the city can’t do that if people don’t have the opportunities to make a living and thrive.

That’s where the Austin Infrastructure Academy comes in.

“We badly want to make Austin affordable for everyone,” Watson said “So that we can be a complete city, and let people be able to afford to live here, to stay here and raise their families here.”

Cobb said her decision to switch careers has been life changing for her and her two sons – and that’s exactly what Watson hopes to replicate.

In the last six years, Cobb’s salary has doubled, and she is on her way to becoming a master electrician. At night, she’s working as an electrician instructor.

“Now, I don’t wonder where my kids’ meals are coming from,” she said. “If they need something, they have it. I don’t have to depend on the state anymore. My car is paid off. I’ve got a house. … It’s been great. I don’t have to depend on anyone and my children know that they can count on their mom.”

Watson said the goal is to do more outreach so more people are aware of programs at the academy. As the city faces an estimated $33 million budget shortfall next fiscal year, though, future funding for the academy is uncertain. Watson says the city is working with community partners to find ways to keep it going.

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