Infrastructure academy receives $225,000 for program design

Austin Infrastructure Academy, which was formed early this year, has received contributions of $125,000 from Texas Mutual insurance company and $100,000 from Google.org, the social impact arm of the tech giant. The money will fund program design for the academy that was created to help connect job seekers with careers in construction and operations. Training, wraparound services and recruiting will be some of the primary focus areas of the academy that City Council helped to launch in March, with Austin Community College providing a location for the effort at its Southeast Travis County campus. “I am thrilled to see how our community partners, both public and private, are coming together to develop the Austin Infrastructure Academy and provide Austinites direct pathways to meaningful, in-demand, family-sustaining careers,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a prepared statement. “The Infrastructure Academy will help bolster Austin’s skilled labor force to meet the workforce needs of major infrastructure projects in our area while also improving economic opportunity throughout the community.”