WorkSource is charged with developing the workforce of Travis County . This is much more involved than simply administering state and federal programs and helping people find jobs. Developing a workforce means making sure that the citizens of Travis County have the necessary skills to both find and keep a job. It also means working with employers to find out what needs they have – in terms of both numbers of workers and types of workers. Do they need employees who work well with machinery? Computers? Do they need customer service skills in their workforce?

WorkSource strives to find out what employers need, and to offer customized training to meet those needs. Through the use of a Target Occupation List, job seekers are offered specific training on in-demand skills, to help ensure that there is a job for them when they finish training. WorkSource also works with employers on a case-by-case basis to provide training to their current employees.

The benefits of Current Worker Training are myriad, and they have a bearing on many of the economic successes that the Austin area continues to enjoy. Companies who receive Current Worker Training find it easier to retain employees, as training leads to skills enhancement, which often leads to advancement and increased pay, which often leads to high morale; and a happy, skilled workforce tends to be a productive one.

Current Worker Training is also a valuable economic development tool, useful in keeping companies in the area and encouraging them to expand. In fact, a recent report issued by the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research found that over 90 percent of companies that received Current Worker Training reported positive benefits and called it “an important investment” that led to significant gains in efficiency and quality.1

In just the past four months alone, WorkSource has invested $178,000 toward Current Worker Training at the following companies:

• Oxford Instruments/Austin Scientific - 20 employees

• DelStar Technologies - 120 employees

• Samsung Austin Semiconductor - 150 employees

• National Instruments - 180 employees

For more information about how WorkSource can help your business succeed, contact Donna Crenshaw or visit our website. 

1 Hollenbeck, Kevin. “Is There a Role for Public Support of Incumbent Worker On-the-Job Training?” Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper No. 08-138. January 2008.