As Austin kicks off several massive infrastructure projects, the city has unveiled a new effort to help residents connect with the thousands of skilled construction jobs soon to be in demand.

For Jennifer Cobb, the opportunity to become an electrician through the Skillpoint Alliance training program transformed her life. Once a receptionist earning $16 an hour and struggling to support two sons, Cobb faced eviction and car repossession.

“Sometimes I didn’t know how my kids were going to eat,” Cobb said. “I was having eviction notices put on my door. My car almost got repoed a couple of times. I actually had other cars repoed.”

After losing her receptionist job, Cobb’s brother encouraged her to explore the electrical trade, highlighting better pay and career growth. Cobb entered Skillpoint Alliance’s free training program, which equips participants for construction and infrastructure jobs in just weeks.

Once she completed the program, she landed a job — and six years later, Cobb is a journeyman electrician with Facility Solutions Group.

“I have a team of my own,” she said. “I lead them throughout the day. It’s a lot of paperwork. It’s a lot of meetings. And when I need to, I put on my tools and get up there and do the work just as my apprentices do.”

The Skillpoint Alliance is now one of several partners involved in the newly launched Austin Infrastructure Academy, which the city has funded with $5 million this year. The academy is designed to connect residents with free training and job opportunities in skilled trades such as electrical work, plumbing, and carpentry.

Austin faces a construction labor shortage as projects like the Austin Convention Center redevelopment, the airport expansion, and the massive Project Connect transit plan are projected to generate 10,000 new jobs annually. Yet a local study by CivicSol warns the city could fall short by about 4,000 workers each year unless more residents are trained and hired.

Laura Huffman, who helped conduct the study, explained how the data pushed the city to act.

“If we were not thinking about how we were going to recruit and train and connect workers to employers differently, we’d never solve the gap,” she said. “It was just that simple.”

Removing barriers such as lack of transportation, child care, and training costs is central to the academy’s mission.

“So if a young person comes in and the first problem they’ve got to attack is child care,” Huffman said, “then the first thing we need to do is connect them to the resources that are available to provide child care support.”

In March, the city launched the academy with a career fair, where employers like Cleared Direct — the company managing the south terminal of the airport — met prospective workers.

“A lot of our jobs, they don’t require a whole lot of experience,” said Dylan Russell from Cleared Direct. “We have a very comprehensive training program. So what we are looking for is someone who is reliable and consistent.”

Stacy Morgan Torres, a bar worker looking to pivot careers, attended the fair hoping to break into HVAC work.

“Now I have a career advisor who is going to be helping me,” Torres said. “I want to do HVAC. I want to get that under my belt, and it’s something new that I would like to start doing.”

Austin Community College (ACC) is also playing a key role, offering “earn-to-learn” programs tied to the academy. ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart said the academy will have its own dedicated space at a planned $200–$250 million Southeast Travis County campus, designed to integrate training, employer connections, and support services like food, child care, and transportation.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has called workforce development essential to addressing the city’s affordability challenges.

“We badly want to make Austin affordable for everyone,” Watson said. “So that we can be a complete city, and let people be able to afford to live here, to stay here and raise their families here.”

For Cobb, the impact has been life-changing. Her salary has doubled, she’s working toward becoming a master electrician, and at night she teaches electrical classes.

“Now, I don’t wonder where my kids’ meals are coming from,” she said. “If they need something, they have it. I don’t have to depend on the state anymore. My car is paid off. I’ve got a house. … It’s been great. I don’t have to depend on anyone and my children know that they can count on their mom.”

Still, the future of the academy may face funding uncertainties, with the city projecting a $33 million budget shortfall next fiscal year. Watson said the city is working with community partners to sustain the program’s momentum.

Originally reported by Luz Moreno-Lozano in Texas Standard.