E-News: January 2020

From the CEO's Desk: New Year, New Workforce Opportunities It has been a fast start for the new year with an abundance of workforce activity. We were thrilled to participate with Anchor-Ventana Glass on a first in Texas registered apprenticeship for glaziers. Towards the end of last year we started strongly promoting our new Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA) Skill-Based Career Progression Lattice System, and continue to let everyone know what a valuable tool this is and how it can be used to help people navigate through the career process. We have just about completed work on our new Workforce Solutions of Hays County career center in San Marcos, and should be up and running there by the end of this month. Once our teams move in there, we will be integrated in Hays County with our partners at Texas Workforce Solutions-Vocational Rehabilitation Services. We are looking forward to having them join us and our other partners in the center. Our low unemployment rate in Central Texas continues to be both a blessing and curse, with many available jobs for people looking for work, but a challenge for employers looking for the talent they need to operate their enterprises. There is a lot happening in our area and it is a great time to be engaged in workforce development here. -WSRCA Chief Executive Officer Paul Fletcher

Pictured (Left to Right): WSRCA Chief Operating Officer, Diane Tackett; WSRCA Chief Executive Officer, Paul Fletcher; WSRCA Board Member & Austin Community College Executive Dean of Continuing Education, Hector Aguilar; WSRCA Board Member & Llano Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Briley Mitchell; WSRCA Project Director, Mike Crane; WSRCA Board Chair & Ember Industries Vice President, Frank Leonardis; Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Dell Technologies, Brent Amundson; Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas Executive Director, Carole Belver; and Literacy Council of Williamson County Executive Director, Kimberly Goode.

Dell Technologies Recognized with the Employer Award of Excellence for the Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area

Dell Technologies was recognized with the Employer Award of Excellence for the Rural Capital Area at the Texas Workforce Commission's (TWC) 23rd Annual Texas Workforce Conference. The award honors private sector employers that are actively involved with Texas Workforce Solutions and have made a positive impact on employers, workers and the community.

Dell Technologies has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the Rural Capital Area, posting thousands of positions on WorkInTexas.com, and innovating veterans transition programs. Dell is now trailblazing recruitment efforts by expanding its Autism Hiring Program to its Round Rock headquarters.

“We’re honored to celebrate Dell Technologies for being an exemplary Rural Capital Area employer in their innovative contributions to their community, local workforce and the Texas economy,” said WSRCA CEO Paul Fletcher. “Dell recognizes that everyone has unique strengths and skills to contribute in the workplace and strives to create an environment that is inclusive and accessible for all. We commend them for their valuable work, removing barriers that may limit an individual from fully showcasing their true abilities and potential.”

Read more about the award, and Dell's Autism Hiring Program on the WSRCA website.

WSRCA Partner, Community Action, Inc., Recognized with Adult Education & Literacy Best in Class Award at TWC Annual Conference

Please join us at WSRCA in congratulating our partners at Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas, for being recognized at the 23rd Annual Texas Workforce Conference, with the Adult Education & Literacy Best in Class Award for their amazing services in the Rural Capital Area. Learn more about their services: www.communityaction.com

Anchor-Ventana Glass Launches First Commercial Glazing Registered Apprenticeship Program in Texas; Rural Capital Area Community Joins to Honor Company's Trailblazing Innovations

The WSRCA is proud to have partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Williamson County, the City of Round Rock and the Round Rock Chamber, to help host a signing day ceremony to recognize the trailblazing efforts by Anchor-Ventana Glass, to launch the first Commercial Glazing Registered Apprenticeship Program in the great state of Texas. Anchor-Ventana Glass is celebrating its 43rd year operating in Williamson County, and is the only glass contractor in Texas to hold a North American Contractor Certification, as well as earn the recognition of having the first four Architectural Glass and Metal Technician Certified Glaziers in the state on their field installation team. Read more about the apprenticeship on the WRCA Blog.

WSRCA Hosts Apprenticeship Seminar for Employers

The WSRCA team would like to thank the more than 50 attendees who took part in our Apprenticeship Seminar for Employers at our Workforce Solutions of Williamson County career center. The goal of the free seminar was to connect local businesses with federal and state specialists, to target training solutions through registered apprenticeship, that can immediately create workforce pipelines to enhance their operations.

We're grateful for the participation of our partners, Troy Johnson from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, and Ann Pham from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Apprenticeship Team, who served as keynote speakers during the seminar, and Jail to Jobs, who provided a wonderful lunch for attendees, as well as insights into their apprenticeship journey.

WSRCA Hosts Building Trades Apprenticeship Showcase to Connect Students to Skilled Trade Careers

The WSRCA Team would like to thank the more than 200 students, teachers, administrators and parents who took part in the Building Trades Apprenticeship Showcase we helped host with our partners at United Association Local 286 Plumbers & Pipefitters and Workforce Solutions Capital Area. 

It was a great honor to help connect students from Bastrop ISD, Giddings ISD, Llano ISD and Lockhart ISD, to skilled trade careers and the amazing opportunities available through the on-the-job, “earn-while-you-learn," registered apprenticeship training model. Read more about the Skilled Trades Student Expo on the WSRCA Blog.

WSRCA Introduces Skill-Based Career Progression Lattices to Empower Job Seekers to Navigate their Way to Success

WSRCA is committed to empowering employers and job seekers by identifying best practices in workforce development and delivering programs and tools to leverage the existing knowledge and skills of workforce customers to set them on a pathway to career success. The WSRCA Skill-Based Career Progression Lattices are designed to address this objective by visibly highlighting the dynamics of strategic career mobility and the importance of a skilled workforce.

“It can be difficult for workers searching for career enhancement to identify personalized pathways to reach their professional goals,” said WSRCA CEO Paul Fletcher. “But rather than a fixed stair-step career ladder, career progression more often takes place along a lattice model that incorporates lateral or even downward movement, depending on life circumstances, but reinforces upward mobility through up-skilling, and is much more representative of today’s work life experience.”

View the Career Progression Lattices, including average salaries, general educational requirements, and future growth opportunities, on the WSRCA Blog.

Pictured (left to right): WSRCA Youth Talent Development Specialist, Breelin Clark, and Student Hireability Navigator, Michelle Watson.

WSRCA Team Joins with Community Partners at Georgetown Mental Health Expo

The WSRCA Team is proud to have taken part in the Georgetown Mental Health Expo hosted by Judge Evelyn McLean, to generate awareness of the resources and programs available within the community. The free event featured dozens of our partners, including NAMI of Central Texas, Williamson County’s Mobile Outreach Team, Healthy Williamson County, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, as well as various representatives from health clinics, ministries and counseling services. Value-focused local events like this are just another reason why the Rural Capital Area is the best place in the country to live, work and do business. Read more on the WSRCA Blog.

WSRCA Team Tours Texas State University's School of Engineering Makerspace

We're grateful to the Texas State University Ingram School of Engineering, for providing our team with a tour of the Ingram Hall Makerspace. The amazing Makerspace engineering lab is a collaborative creative space for students to build projects, explore ideas, invent concepts and learn from one another. Read more on the WSRCA Blog.

Rural Capital Area Gains $1.1 Billion in Net Income Due to Relocations in 2018 Newly released data from the IRS shows the flow of individuals between counties. Analysis by Headlight shows that 89,000 people moved into the Rural Capital area in 2018 and 63,000 people moved out, for a net gain of 25,000 residents. IRS data also provides the gross income of people that relocated. People relocating to the Rural Capital Region earned a total of $3.1 Billion, while those leaving the region earn a total of $2 Billion, providing a net income gain of $1.1 Billion for the region. About half of new people and dollars flowing into the region come from Travis County.  For more information on economic, demographic and workforce data on the Rural Capital Area, visit the Rural Capital Headlight portal, and subscribe to the Rural Capital Headlight newsletter.

Rural Capital Area Caps Off Year with 14,839 Jobs Added, December Unemployment Rate at 2.6%

The economy of the Rural Capital Area capped off another great year of positive employment growth in 2019, with 534 jobs added for the month of December, and 14,839 jobs created throughout the nine-county region since December 2018—an annual growth rate of 2.84 percent. The unadjusted unemployment rate for the WSRCA workforce development area dropped to 2.6 percent in December, down from 2.7 percent in November, according to figures released by TWC. The 2.6 percent unemployment rate represented 14,248 residents seeking employment in December. The region’s unemployment rate remained below both the Texas (3.3 percent)* and national (3.4 percent)* rates.

Within the WSRCA counties, Blanco recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2 percent in December. Fayette County’s unemployment rate was at 2.3 percent. Burnet, Hays and Lee counties were at 2.5 percent, while Williamson County came in at 2.6 percent. Bastrop County was at 2.8 percent, Caldwell County was at 2.9 percent and Llano County was at 3.3 percent.

Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit texaslmi.com.

Read more and explore Key Points by Industry in the News Section of the WSRCA website. 

*Unemployment rates listed are not seasonally adjusted.

You have been sent this email newsletter because you've been identified as an important workforce stakeholder in the Rural Capital Area. To be removed from our list, click on Unsubscribe below.