Jobs development roundup: A split at Austin Chamber; Huston-Tillotson and Skillpoint Alliance fill gaps

The Austin Chamber of Commerce has parted ways with Opportunity Austin, the job creation and economic development arm of the organization since 2004. The now-separate groups announced the split Tuesday while naming new leaders and explaining the move will allow each to focus on its core mission.

Jeremy Martin, currently interim chief operating officer of the chamber, will become permanent president and CEO on June 26. Gary Farmer will serve as chairman and interim CEO of Opportunity Austin while a search for a permanent leader is conducted.

The chamber will now focus solely on advocacy for its members’ businesses, programming related to business issues, corporate philanthropy and growth of its members’ companies.

In a statement, Farmer said the global interest in Austin will continue to fuel job growth throughout the region. Opportunity Austin is credited with creating more than 600,000 jobs in nearly 20 years.

“Our work does not stop here. We will continue to create jobs for families and strengthen our regional economy with the ongoing support from Opportunity Austin investors who have been integral to the success we have achieved,” he said.

Martin told Austin Business Journal that the search late last year for a new CEO prompted the chamber’s board to evaluate its mission and how best to serve members, while also working to bring new companies and jobs to the area.

Huston-Tillotson University has taken steps to help current students and employees of local companies bolster their soft skills in areas such as leadership, time management, conflict resolution, overcoming stress and more with its new HT Certified online course platform. The program debuted in January at htcertified.org and is now available for businesses looking to expand their employees’ skills using short, self-guided video courses.

University President Melva Wallace said the need for adding skills to existing teams was a common refrain during her listening tour last year, as she met with entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the local economy whom she hopes will become ongoing customers and supporters of the program.

“So many of those community leaders and people that are running big companies here said, ‘Listen, how do we retool and continue to retrain our current workforce?’” she told the Austin Monitor.

“We’re able to train all of their employees on the site, and their employees have the ability to go on, taking these courses to help them maintain and increase productivity,” she said. “Now that we’re doing this, we need help from the business community to partner with us, so they understand we can be your training partner as it relates to retooling and providing professional development for employees all over the city of Austin and everywhere in Central Texas.”

Skillpoint Alliance expects the state’s new CHIPS Act economic incentives for semiconductor production to increase demand for training in high-tech manufacturing, and it wants its free training in electrical, plumbing, HVAC and manufacturing trades to be sought after more than ever.

The legislation, signed into law last week by Gov. Greg Abbott, will provide $1.4 billion for research and manufacturing initiatives to create new jobs throughout the state. Locally, Samsung Austin Semiconductor and BAE Systems have partnered with Skillpoint Alliance to upgrade its manufacturing lab and provide improved training to each 15-person cohort.

Kevin Brackmeyer, CEO of Skillpoint Alliance, said 76 percent of graduates find employment within six weeks of completing their training.

“We are definitely seeing a huge need for skilled trades and manufacturing workers. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, 15,000 skilled workers will be needed within the next two years here,” he told the Monitor in an email.

“Many of our employer partners have stated that they are in desperate need of skilled workers to keep up with production demands,” he added. “We have representatives from several local manufacturing companies who faithfully attend every single certified production technician graduation ceremony with job offers ready to go for our students.”

Photo by 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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