Austin Community College District (ACC) takes a closer look at the workforce demands in Central Texas for some of its instructional programs. ACC Vice Chancellor Dr. Jenna Cullinane Hege, Workforce Education Associate Vice Chancellor Brandon Whatley, and Health Sciences Associate Vice Chancellor Nina Almasy, led Trustees on a deep dive into data associated with several ACC programs at the January regular board meeting.
The presentation included data for three key Central Texas workforce areas: healthcare, mobility and infrastructure, and IT. A selection of programs was evaluated based on regional demand, supply, wages, HB 8 funding, and more. Below is a breakdown of what was shared for each program.
Nursing
- Demand: 2,430 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 415 completions from ACC
- 616 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- Travel nurses provide temporary work
- St. David’s in-house training (free)
- Shortfall: 500-1,000 openings a year
- 1-year post-completion wage: $67,524
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 800 to 1,000 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Facilities, faculty availability, clinical opportunities, softening student demand
- HB 8 award funding: $2,695,875
Dental Hygiene
- Demand: 118 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 25 completions from ACC
- 25 to 42 from other national sources
- ADA allowance for foreign-trained dentists and dental students
- Shortfall: 50-68 openings a year
- 1-year post-completion wage: $78,403
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 64-68 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Qualified faculty, accreditation, facilities, patient recruitment, potential saturation of the market, a decrease in wages that could lead to a decrease in demand in the applicant pool
- HB 8 award funding: $115,875
Surgical Technology
- Demand: 220 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 28 completions from ACC
- 31 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- New grads from elsewhere move to Austin
- Incumbent workers move to Austin
- Travel assignments fill the shortage of CST’s
- Shortfall: 50-150 openings a year
- 1-year post-completion wage: $59,670
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 55 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Clinical placement, lab space, qualified faculty
- HB 8 award funding: $165,375
Automotive Technology
- Demand: 1,318 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 126 completions from ACC
- 41 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- New grads from elsewhere move to Austin
- Incumbent workers move to Austin
- ISD graduates with training
- Other providers (e.g., Universal Technical Institute, Southern Careers Institute)
- Shortfall: 500-700 openings a year. Within 1 year of working in the industry, graduates are transitioned from hourly wages to commission salary.
- 1-year post-completion wage: $40,888
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 350 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Facilities, qualified faculty, competitive faculty salaries, accreditation, continued recruitment of students desiring to enter the profession, other training providers in the region who recruit heavily for this specific industry
- HB 8 award funding: $356,125
Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning/Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology
- Demand: 1,919 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 156 completions from ACC
- 66 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- New Grads could be trained elsewhere and move to Austin
- Incumbent workers move to Austin
- ISD Graduates with HART Training (Leander ISD)
- Other providers (UA Local 286, Austin Career Institute)
- Shortfall: 1,000-1,200 openings a year + labor market projections show a lot of growth locally and nationally in this industry over the next 10 years
- 1-year post-completion wage: $53,330
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 187 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Facilities, qualified faculty, competitive faculty salaries, continued recruitment of students desiring to enter the profession, other training providers in the region who recruit heavily for this specific industry
- HB 8 award funding: $324,125
Construction Management
- Demand: 4,941 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 77 completions from ACC
- 0 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- New Grads could be trained elsewhere and move to Austin
- Incumbent workers move to Austin
- Shortfall: 2,000-3,000 openings a year. This labor market is particularly hard to estimate because labor market entrants can come in with a wide range of backgrounds in both academic and work-based preparation.
- 1-year post-completion wage: $55,373
- Potential growth: If programs were at full capacity and all approvals are received could net 156 ACC completers per year (by 2030)
- Barriers to growth: Facilities, qualified faculty, competitive faculty salaries, continued recruitment of students desiring to enter the profession, messaging that the program is designed to lead to management positions not entry-level construction trade roles, other training providers in the region
- HB 8 award funding: $266,000
Cybersecurity
- Demand: 224 annual entry-level openings
- Supply:
- 55 completions from ACC
- 113 from other institutes of higher education (undergraduate only)
- New Grads could be trained elsewhere and move to Austin
- Incumbent workers move to Austin
- Shortfall: Minimal shortfall, if any. This labor market is particularly hard to estimate because labor market entrants can come in with a wide range of backgrounds both academic and work-based preparation. The influence of AI has unknown implications for this industry.
- 1-year post-completion wage: $99,277
- Potential growth: There is a new BAS program (began fall 2023). It is difficult to make informed predictions about its growth at this point in time.
- Barriers to growth: Facilities (expanding lab at Rio Grande), qualified faculty, competitive faculty salaries, and other training providers in the region
- HB 8 award funding: Not eligible for HB 8 funding
At the board’s April work session, Dr. Cullinane Hege will present data regarding student demographics and enrollment trends.