Impact & Input: Your Voice in Austin's Hire Local Plan

In this special mini-episode, host Tamara Atkinson explores Austin's critical workforce challenges and the evolution of the Hire Local Plan. She discusses how addressing the skills gap is essential for sustaining regional economic growth and shares impressive results from the plan's most recent year of implementation, including 16,000+ residents trained in the region’s top industries and significant wage increases for graduates. Atkinson highlights key insights from industry leaders about childcare accessibility, non-linear career paths, and industry-classroom connections, while inviting listeners to contribute their input on the plan's future direction.

In This Episode: 

• (00:00) Addressing Austin's dual workforce challenge: building worker skills while meeting employer talent needs
• (1:35) Workforce Solutions Capital Area unveils refreshed Hire Local Plan strategy
• (3:01) Plan impact: 16,000+ residents trained with 230% wage increases for employed graduates in most recent year
• (04:14) Industry insights on childcare needs, non-linear careers, and classroom-industry connections
• (05:16) Join us: Share your input on the Hire Local Plan's future direction
• Like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes!

About the show: 

Austin Hires Local, powered by Workforce Solutions Capital Area and hosted by WFS CEO Tamara Atkinson, dives deep with the trailblazers who are shaping the future of jobs in our city, our state, and even nationally. We pull back the curtain on the challenges we all face – the anxieties, the roadblocks, and what's holding us back from filling those critical open positions. But hey, it's not all doom and gloom. We also celebrate the victories: the ingenious solutions, the unexpected collaborations, and the best practices that are making us all sharper. You’ll hear guests from all sides of the table – elected officials with a finger on the pulse of the economy, industry leaders from booming sectors like tech, healthcare, and skilled trades, and educators shaping young minds in our schools and post-secondary education programs. So, tune in and get ready to be informed, inspired, and maybe even surprised by the future of work in Austin.

Resources:

Give input on the Hire Local Plan refresh: https://www.wfscapitalarea.com/hire-local-plan/
Workforce Solutions Capital Area
Tamara Atkinson LinkedIn

Thank you to our sponsor: Texas Mutual

About Workforce Solutions Capital Area:
Workforce Solutions is the state-designated authority for the data-driven planning, oversight, and evaluation of workforce development activities in Austin-Travis County. They connect local people to the most in-demand industries with quality jobs. These specialized serv