“This program, it really just opened my eyes to what the possibilities were. The hardest part now is choosing,” Johnson said. “... I’m through the moon right now.”
The big picture
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.
Previously working as a carpenter, Johnson joined 12 local residents as the first graduating class of Austin’s Texas Construction Career Pathways program.
Though she enjoyed working as a “nail-bender,” she said the industry is forever waiting on permitting and the work can be slow.
With her completion of the 120-hour readiness program, Johnson is now eligible to apply for a full-scale apprenticeship program with the option of learning plumbing, pipefitting, sheet metal work and more.
“You're still working. You're getting your hands dirty, you're getting a feel for the [work],” Johnson said.
The demand for skilled union labor remains high, Natalie Obregon, Texas Climate Jobs Project Workforce Development Director said.
The ceremony was held at the UA Local 286 Plumbers Hall, home to the union plumbers and pipefitters—a tribute for those essential to Austin’s recovery after Winter Storm Uri’s freeze exposed a severe shortage of skilled trade workers.
“It's necessary and it’s now that we need to do this,” Obregon said. “There are changes in our ecological systems, and that's why programs conserving career pathways are so important.”
The severe weather event left thousands of Austin residents without water, highlighting the need for skilled trade workers like plumbers and pipefitters, according to Texas Climate Jobs Project officials.
The Texas Construction Career Pathways program, in partnership with the county, is helping to fill the gap.
“We have historic infrastructure investments, with $25 billion in major projects [planned]—the airport expansion, I-35 expansion [and] Project Connect will be coming online in a few years for construction. We are going to be growing this sector by 80% over the course of the next 20 years,” Sarah Garza, Director Of Mobility Industry Partnerships at Workforce Solutions Capital Area said.
She emphasized the critical need, as the demand for general construction jobs is expected to nearly triple, while skilled trade positions will double. There are an estimated 10,000 jobs to be created annually under 2040 forecasts, with only about 4,000 being trained annually, she said.
These types of “earn to learn” models will help recruit more individuals, Garza said, calling attention to the city of Austin’s Infrastructure Academy, which received a $5 million funding boost in October.
In collaboration with the city and Workforce Solutions, Austin Community College has committed to constructing a new facility to house hands-on training programs.
"It's programs like [the Texas Construction Career Pathways] that really tie into the success of Austin Infrastructure Academy," Garza said.
Of note
Under the guidance of Texas Clean Energy Pathways, the readiness program strived to diversify the state’s skilled workforce and give people from underrepresented backgrounds access to family-sustaining jobs.
Founder of Texas Women in Trades Allie Perez commended the program’s majority female graduating class.
She said she started her organization over a decade ago to bring more women into construction. Women have shied away from the trades due to the historical marketing of a male dominated world, Perez said.
“This is what I've been working for 15 years to see. This is amazing,” Perez said. “I am located in San Antonio, and I drove here for this. ... This is the beginning of a beautiful movement.”
