Council OKs contract for new academy to train ‘workforce of the future’

City Council on Thursday approved a $5 million contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to start and manage the Austin Infrastructure Academy for 12 months. In addition to job training, the contract with Workforce Solutions includes the provision of child care services and job placement assistance for mobility and infrastructure related positions. Council approved the contract unanimously with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison absent.

Austin Water and Austin Energy will provide funding for the contract from their 2024-2025 operating budgets, with Austin Water paying the lion’s share of the bill. The utilities are expected to benefit from the academy by gaining new workers.

The academy has been on the minds of Council and others for some time.

As the Council Audit & Finance Committee heard Wednesday, the Austin airport has had difficulty finding enough skilled workers to fill positions there. The Aviation Department has started on a $4 billion expansion of the airport, made more difficult by its vacancy rate.

Although airport vacancies reached 36 percent, that rate has now fallen to 17 percent, still enough to generate worry. Council members Alison Alter and Vanessa Fuentes were among those expressing concern.

On Thursday, Fuentes offered the following motion to make sure that Aviation is included in the scope of this contract: “(T)he City Manager is directed to advance engagement with the Aviation Department as a leading partner in the design of the programs for construction, skilled trades, fleet maintenance and repair, frontline mobility, and operations and supervision to assist with vacancies at the airport and to ensure the Academy is connecting local people to the most in-demand positions at the airport,” as was directed in a previous resolution.

Mayor Kirk Watson expressed his enthusiasm for the program and praised Fuentes for urging that the airport be included. He said the airport is “a key reason why we kicked off the infrastructure academy to begin with” and called the academy a “national model” for such institutions.

Among those urging approval of the contract was Chris Cervini, vice chancellor for community and government affairs at Austin Community College. He said creating the academy is “an important step in meeting the needs of our city as it grows to be a city of global significance” – though he amended that to say Austin is already a city of global significance.

He later explained via email, “I was on hand to express our support for the Infrastructure Academy and to state that, as the largest local provider of skilled trades education, the college is standing by to collaborate with the city, WFS, and our local training providers as we all seek to educate the workforce of the future.”

The academy is currently housed at the ACC Riverside campus, according to ACC spokesperson Sydney Pruitt. The academy will eventually be located at the Southeast Travis County campus, which is in the planning stage of development.

Adal Rivas in Fuentes’ office told the Austin Monitor, “ACC is a key stakeholder in the Infrastructure Academy. They are providing input and guidance on its execution and will host some of the training as part of the academy curriculum. ACC is also a part of the Infrastructure Academy Leadership Group, as well as the Design team.”

Monica Guzmán, policy director for Go Austin/Vamos Austin – who is also a candidate for the District 4 Council seat currently held by Council Member Chito Vela – thanked Council for including a large amount for child care. She said she had reached out for information to the Economic Development Department and was pleased with their answer about child care.

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