You are here

Amid recession, Austinites prepare for the new economy

Share |

By Patrick Brendel Friday, 12 June 2009

AUSTIN — Getting laid off means going back to school for many Austinites seeking new skills to prepare for life after the recession.

Auto tech student William Escuintoa works on a car at the Austin Community College Riverside Campus. Photo by Eric Pulsifer

The main providers of job training in the area, Austin Community College and Workforce Solutions—Capital Area, have experienced a sharp increase in demand for their assistance. With the aid of federal stimulus funds, they are rolling out new and expanded services to develop the workforce of the future, in sectors like health care, digital media production, clean energy, biotechnology and entrepreneurship.

ACC steps up

“We recognize our responsibility that we are the major trainer and retrainer of our local workforce, so we are responding,” said Mike Midgley, Vice President of Workforce Education & Business Development for ACC. “We are developing programs. We are putting together new things. We are working diligently with the workforce boards to see where there are opportunities for people to get employed.”

He said ACC enrollment has increased by about 12 percent since last spring, with professors reporting anecdotally that many students are laid-off workers seeking new job skills and employed people looking to upgrade existing skills.

“Some folks come in and want to do something that is completely different from what they’ve been doing,” Midgley said. “Other people, like computer network people, are taking additional courses to enhance their technical capabilities within the same area they’ve been working in.”

To accommodate the influx of enrollees, ACC tries to spread the students among all of its campuses, many of which hold classes on nights and weekends.

Workforce Solutions

About 50,000 people per month have sought out services at Workforce Solutions’ three Travis County centers from late 2008 to early 2009, Communications Coordinator Weston Sythoff said. That is up from an average of 30,000 to 35,000 per month last year.

Workforce Solutions—Capital Area serves Travis County and is one of 28 workforce boards statewide. The workforce boards partner with their communities — including schools and businesses — to lead workforce development activities within their regions.

For businesses, that means human resource services at little to no cost, including: employee recruitment and referral, worker tax credits assistance, unemployment insurance information, labor market data, employee training, job fairs, professional outplacement services and facility space for recruiting or interviewing.

Workforce Solutions listens to industry leaders to determine which job sectors are most likely to grow in the near future and tailors its programs accordingly, concentrating its resources on a list of “targeted occupations” that evolves over time.

For job seekers, Workforce Solutions offers a variety of free services, ranging from the use of computers, fax machines and phones to referrals to community service partners like ACC. Qualifying individuals can receive one-on-one assistance training for finding employment in targeted job sectors such as clean energy, biotechnology, health care, software development and digital media production.

A large part of the board’s efforts and funds go toward childcare. The organization assists workers who would not otherwise be able to afford it, and also helps nurseries and daycares obtain certification and pay for self-improvement projects.

“The idea behind all our programs is to help someone get a job and transition off of public benefits,” Sythoff said. “The best way to do that is to get jobs in areas that are projected to grow. We don’t want people to wind up in the unemployment line a week later.”

Stimulus funds

The local board has been selected to receive $4.3 million in federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. About $2.2 million of that is funding a summer youth employment program, called Viva Verde, in partnership with the private Goodwill Industries International. About 600 young people, ages 14 to 24, have signed up for paid summer internships at local clean energy companies.

“We have had no problem finding youth. The hard part has been finding spots for them in the right industries,” Sythoff said.

About $900,000 is dedicated to helping low-income adults, and the remaining $1.2 million is reserved for workers who have lost their jobs because of the recession. The dislocated worker funds come with a stipulation that they must be spent by 2010. That excludes some occupations that require longer-term training, such as registered nursing.

“The money is going to be used mainly for training in a very focused set of occupations that we’re working with ACC and area industry representatives to identify,” Sythoff said.

Using federal funds, the workforce board is renovating a large space in its headquarters at 6505 Airport Blvd., just north of Highland Mall. The new area will house a “one-stop center” for laid-off or low-income people looking for employment.

“They can go in, find out if they’re eligible for services, talk about occupations and talk about training at ACC—one visit, one place,” Sythoff said.

The one-stop center is scheduled to open the beginning of June.

“If you find yourself laid off or unemployed, now is a really good time to consider retraining or upgrading your skills.”

Looking for a job?

Take these steps to secure a new career

www.wfscapitalarea.com

1. Research

A. Read up on the Workforce Investment Act Program
- Basic eligibility requirements:
- U.S. citizen or right-to-work
- Low-income or dislocated workers
B. Find out what occupations are in demand in Austin
- Occupations list
  - Automotive Service Technicians & Mechanics
  - Biological Technicians
  - Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks
  - Computer Software Engineers, Applications
  - Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software
  - Computer Support Specialists
  - Computer Systems Analysts
  - Construction and Building Inspectors/Energy Auditors
  - Customer Service Representatives
  - Electric Power-Line Installers/Repairers
  - Electrical Engineers
  - Electrical Engineering Technicians
  - Electricians
  - Elementary School Teachers
  - Energy Grid and Control Technicians
  - Executive Secretaries/Administrative Assistants
  - Graphic Designers
  - Heating/AC/Refrigeration Mechanics
  - Licensed Vocational Nurses
  - Manufacturing Technicians
  - Medical Assistants
  - Medical/Clinical Lab Technicians
  - Middle School Teachers
  - Multi-Media Artists and Animators
  - Network Systems/Data Communications Analysts
  - Network/Computer Systems Administrators
  - Nursing Aides
  - Pharmacy Technicians
  - Physical Therapy Assistants
  - Physical Therapists

2. Come by Workforce Solutions—Capital Area

A. Attend a WIA orientation
- 6505 Airport Blvd., Ste. 101-A, 454-9675, 10:30 a.m. Thursdays
- 4175 Freidrich Lane, Ste. 200, 381-4200, 10 a.m. Tuesdays
- 3401 Webberville Road, Bldg. 1000, 223-5400, 10 a.m. Fridays
B. Bring eligibility documents
- Verify if dislocated or low-income
- Birthdate/age
- Citizenship/alien status
- Social Security
- Selective Services registration