From the CEO's Desk:
Greetings,
We’d like to wish you a Happy Fourth of July weekend. Our teams have been very busy launching new initiatives and forming coalitions, and we've seen increased numbers of people coming through our Rural Capital Area workforce centers to get back into the workforce and to access high-quality child care for their families.
Great career opportunities continue to be available throughout our region, and we are excited to help more local businesses and job seekers connect through our many events and tools.
It looks like it will be an exciting summer, and the job markets are heating up even faster than the temperatures! Please give us a call at 1-844-344-2780, or visit one of our many offices, so that our teams can assist you in finding talent for your business or empowering your workforce journey through a new career opportunity.
- Paul Fletcher
Chief Executive Officer
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA)
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 Members of Fayette County Workforce Matters Coalition at their first meeting on June 17.
WSRCA launched its Strategic Workforce Plans beginning in March to strengthen community collaborations through the formation of Workforce Matters Coalitions in each of our nine counties. Their goal is to identify solutions for structural barriers, to enhance the area’s employer-led and demand-driven workforce system, and to create pathways to self-sufficient employment and career advancement for Central Texans.
We’re excited to share that the Workforce Matters Coalitions in each county have already held their first meetings, and the solution-focused, collaborative spirit of the groups are already making news headlines.
KVUE News: New Fayette Co. coalition aims to tackle pandemic unemployment concerns
We’d like to thank all of the Coalition members for volunteering their time and energy to empower our communities.
Look for more updates on the work of the Coalitions soon.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Coalitions, and supporting their vital work, please email communications@ruralcapital.net
 Central Texas Manufacturing/Workforce Delegation Visits Tesla. Pictured (L-R): WSRCA CEO Paul Fletcher, Laura Marmolejo with Austin Community College District, Summer Salazar with The University of Texas at Austin, & Zach Hill, of Tesla.
WSRCA is committed to enhancing career opportunities for Texans and toured Tesla's operations this week in California and Nevada, to bolster workforce development efforts ahead of the automaker's upcoming grand opening of its $1.1 billion Gigafactory in Austin.
WSRCA joined with Central Texas manufacturing, training, and community partners for the informational visits to Fremont, California, and Sparks, Nevada. The group included Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, Austin Chamber, Austin Economic Development Corporation, The University of Texas at Austin, Huston-Tillotson University, and Austin Community College.
Tesla reportedly has more than 70,000 full-time employees worldwide and is expected to start production at the new Austin facility this year, where it will build its Cybertruck, Semi, Model 3 compact sedan, and Model Y vehicles.
In a tweet in March, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, said that the Austin-area Tesla manufacturing plant would hire more than 10,000 people through 2022.
Tesla currently has more than 250 open positions posted for Austin on its hiring site.
We’ll share more updates soon on the customized workforce recruitment and training efforts being developed through the partnerships to help welcome Tesla to Central Texas.
All WSRCA career centers are open to the public for services across the nine-county region. Services can be provided in person (with or without an appointment), may still be scheduled online for an in-person, or curbside appointment, or may be provided virtually to meet your immediate workforce needs.
We continue to offer all career workshops and workforce orientations in a hybrid manner (virtually and in-person), and can make arrangements for residents who need access to a computer to participate in a virtual session.
Face coverings are no longer required to enter our offices, but we encourage all customers and staff to continue to cover their faces while in public areas or close proximity to others.
Looking to schedule an appointment to visit? Utilize the calendars on the WSRCA website.
WSRCA has launched a Rural Healthcare Initiative (RHI) partnership to increase the supply of healthcare professionals in Blanco, Burnet, Llano, and Lampasas counties over the next four years.
The RHI program brings together local training providers and healthcare employers to train unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers for jobs focusing on direct patient care in the healthcare industry in targeted areas of Central Texas.
Ready to jumpstart your healthcare career, train locally for sustainable jobs with Central Texas Employers, and serve your community? You are essential and our community needs you - Connect with an RHI Program Specialist today: 1-844-344-2780
WSRCA was awarded a Pursuit of Advanced Training in High-Demand Skills (PATHS) grant funded through the Walmart Foundation. PATHS For Texas is a statewide initiative to provide industry and nationally recognized training and upskill opportunities to improve employee retention, to support career advancement, and to promote success for workers and job seekers in customer facing industries.
Businesses and individuals within our nine-county region can benefit from PATHS.
Specific and individualized training options are available that offer certifications and degrees and are offered by industry recognized providers. Classes are online and self-paced. All at No Cost to You!
Get details about how to provide your employees with training opportunities:
WSRCA is proud to expand its no-cost career training opportunities for Central Texans with the launch of Skillup Rural Capital.
Skillup Rural Capital offers free access to workplace, business, and IT courses, as well as offering Texans the ability to explore career pathways in over 200 occupations.
Whether you are looking to increase your skills, change industries/find a new career, or gain better employment in a high-demand industry, SkillUp Rural Capital offers resources to deliver solutions, including access to local job postings and workforce services through WSRCA.
Employers, if you are having trouble finding qualified candidates, or looking to update your employees' skills, Skillup Rural Capital can help facilitate candidate matching, and connect you with WSRCA business specialists to design customized hiring and training solutions to boost your operations.
When combined with our Skill-Based Career Progression Lattices, Daily Virtual Career Training Workshops, LinkedIn Learning, the 5-Minute Countdown Series, and Metrix Learning through our partners at the Texas Workforce Commission, Central Texans have immediate access to more than 20,000 free online career courses available to enhance their workforce journey.
Join us online every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for our Workforce Wednesdays Virtual Career Expo Hiring Experience. Register today to virtually connect with hiring recruiters hosting interactive booths from dozens of local companies. Explore their exciting career, apprenticeship and internship opportunities in the Rural Capital Area, chat with employers, and take part in free virtual career-enhancement workshops right from your own computer, or mobile device. All job seekers welcome.
Job Seeker Registration: http://bit.ly/workforcewednesdaysexpo
Employer Registration: http://bit.ly/workforcewednesdaysemployer
If you're not hiring employees with disabilities, you're limiting your reach! Recruiting talented workers of all abilities and experiences can have a positive impact on your bottom line. Our partners at Texas Workforce Solutions-Vocational Rehabilitation Services can help you get started.
All you need to remove barriers that limit hiring and accommodating an employee with a disability is an innovative spirit. Visit our website to learn more.
We understand that the success of your business is largely dependent on the ability to find qualified candidates to fill your staffing needs. Yet, the task of finding and maintaining employees with the right skills, training and education can be daunting.
That's where we come in. Our WSRCA Business Services Team assists employers like you at every stage of your workforce needs:
- Recruiting, Interviewing & Hiring Candidates of All Abilities
- Virtual Job Fairs
- Job Postings on WorkInTexas.com
- Employer Spotlights on Jobs Now
- Customized Skills Training
- Labor Market Information
- Layoff Assistance
Visit www.workforcesolutionsrca.com to learn more, or email businessservices@ruralcapital.net
Central Texas Employers are Hiring! As part of our continuing efforts to help connect skilled Texans with great Texas employers, WSRCA has launched a new Jobs Now video feature to spotlight local businesses within the nine-county region, to help them showcase their open positions and the skills they are hiring for.
Latest Employer Spotlights:
- Stealth Products
- Giddings State School
- Athena Manufacturing
- AlgEternal Technologies, LLC
- MY TEAM Home & Commercial Services
- Earth Burger
- Cargill
- Texas One Stop in La Grange
If you're a Rural Capital Area employer who would like to have your business showcased in the Jobs Now spotlight, and your available positions shared with job seeking Texans, please email our Business Services Team at businessservices@ruralcapital.net
TWC in partnership with the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) is launching a Restaurant Recovery Initiative to assist Texas restaurants in developing new strategies to operate safely, leverage new technologies and maximize profits in the modern era. The Restaurant Recovery Initiative is built around a series of training videos in English and Spanish that will share best practices to assist employers in adapting jobs to contactless operations and new service trends.
The videos include a number of topics, including off-premises food sales, maximizing drive-through window sales, creating a menu for off-premises sales, negotiating third party delivery contracts, alcohol-to-go sales and many others.
In addition to the owner/operator training videos, TWC and TRA are also providing free online access for restaurant workers to attain their state-required Food Handler and TABC Seller/Server Certifications.
Through federal, state and local funding, our Child Care Services (CCS) team is able to provide financial aid for eligible families and connect them to professional development opportunities. The Texas Rising Star child care providers that partner with us, voluntarily meet requirements that exceed the state’s minimum Child Care Licensing standards. Your child deserves the best. Visit www.workforcesolutionsrca.com to learn more about the CCS program.
Child care businesses are critical employers throughout Texas and the services they provide are crucial to growing the economy. However, almost all child care businesses were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many going out of business or operating now, on the edge of solvency.
To help our child care businesses recover from the Pandemic, our partners at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) have launched a Child Care Relief Fund and are providing free business coaching for early-learning providers.
Veterans, you've served your country—now let Texas serve you! Whether you want to know more about transitioning into a civilian career, job search assistance, educational resources such as the College Credit for Heroes program, or other veterans' training benefits, our Veterans Services Coordinators are here to help. Visit www.workforcesolutionsrca.com for more on our priority services for veterans.
WSRCA is joining with its partners at the Texas Veterans Commission and Texas Workforce Commission to host the 2021 Veterans Summer Job Fair, an in-person and virtual hiring event for military veterans and their families, on Thursday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Kalahari Resorts Texas in Round Rock.
Veterans, transitioning military, and spouses, connect with military-friendly recruiters from dozens of local companies, eager to hire our nation's heroes. Learn about their exciting career opportunities in the Rural Capital Area (Bastrop; Blanco; Burnet; Caldwell; Fayette; Hays; Lee; Llano; and Williamson counties), and take part in free virtual career-enhancement workshops right from your own computer, or mobile device. All job-seekers welcome.
Directions to the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center
 
Unsure where your career is headed? Looking to understand how our local industries are rebounding from the pandemic? Utilize our Rural Capital Headlight Tool to review:
- Economic Overviews by County
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Wages/Income
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Employment trends
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Occupation snapshots
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Industry Clusters
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Education Levels
It’s where to go, to be in the know: http://ruralcapitalheadlight.com
The unadjusted unemployment rate of the Rural Capital Area of Central Texas continued its slide in May 2021, dropping to 4.3 percent, down from 4.6 percent in April, according to figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission. The 4.3 percent unemployment rate in the nine-county Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area represented 24,544 residents seeking employment. The region’s unemployment rate remained below Texas’ (5.9 percent) and the national (5.5 percent) rates.
All counties within the Rural Capital Area region saw unemployment rates drop in May.
See the full release and additional May 2021 labor market data for each county:
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