The organizations will form Workforce Mobility Industry Sector Partnership and Workforce Infrastructure Action Plan to seek local talent for those positions, which include many city-funded transporting projects.
The overview
Currently, there are 103,898 workers in the local construction and transit-related industries, according to JobsEQ, a provider of labor market data and demographics. That number is expected to increase to 142,657 over the next 10 years.
Part of this demand will be driven by Project Connect, a multibillion-dollar plan to rethink and expand Austin’s transportation infrastructure passed by voters in November 2020.
“Austin is brimming with untapped talent needed to fill the thousands of jobs our future mobility and infrastructure projects, including Austin Light Rail, will generate,” said Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
Dig deeper
The plan will establish oversight opportunities for infrastructure funding, such as highlighting ways to reach underinvested communities.
“We need to make sure every Austinite has equitable access to transportation throughout the city, and Austin Transit Partnership is working to achieve this goal. Workforce Solutions
Capital Area is the perfect partner to ensure that as we build and grow, the Austin workforce is ready to meet the increasing demand for employees in construction, engineering and beyond,” said Greg Canally, executive director of Austin Transit Partnership, in a press release.
Workforce Solutions will start the project by studying the current Austin area workforce and accessing its capacity.
Before moving into an action phase, Workforce Solutions will work with local leaders to explain the need it finds in the workforce
