Austin Community College District (ACC) Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart joined Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, and Workforce Solutions’ Tamara Atkinson and Mark Sherry during SXSW EDU on March 6. Together, the group had an open discussion about ways education and workforce development can work together to address affordability and infrastructure challenges in Austin.
The SXSW EDU session, “How Austin Builds Community: Building Roads, Rail & Ports,” highlighted the creation of an Infrastructure Academy to foster career pathways and family-supporting jobs.
“What I am excited about, with the Mayor’s vision, is we have a city that is very clearly telling all of us to get ourselves together. Let’s align. Let’s integrate. Let’s build systems that honor our employers. Let’s build systems that make it easy for our future workers to meet the demands that our city is clearly articulating and the new economic model,” said Dr. Lowery-Hart. “This is a powerful community. Under the Mayor’s leadership, this infrastructure academy will glue us together in a way we haven’t seen before.”
“I want to make sure Austin stays a complete city, meaning anyone can be a part of this city and afford to be part of this city,” said Watson. “I wanted to change the economic development paradigm. Modernize it. I wanted to focus less on how many W2s we create at the end of the year. I want Austinitians to get into those.”
You can listen to the full conversation: How Austin Builds Community Building Roads, Rail & Ports
The Austin Infrastructure Academy, announced in March 2024, will focus on training the workforce needed for the region’s infrastructure projects. ACC plays a central role in this initiative by providing training in programs like welding, construction, and HVAC at its Riverside Campus, with plans to expand.
The Academy will address the need to upskill workers to increase the local talent pipeline by 4,000 workers annually to meet the demands of major mobility projects. This collaborative effort involves local government, employers, and unions to ensure residents can access high-quality career opportunities.