New Class Changing Lives
How often do we get the opportunity to change someone’s life?

For 20 non-native English speakers, that’s just what WorkSource and ACC are doing. The students in the first-ever Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) – Administrative Assistant class at Austin Community College District (ACC) are being given an opportunity to learn valuable, practical, real-world job skills while improving their English at the same time.

“I wouldn’t be able to take college classes without it,” said one student of WorkSource’s funding.
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Austin Community College Showcases Biotech Programs
Employers get a first-hand look at new labs and equipment.
WorkSource, through a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) grant, helped develop and pilot three new innovative courses at Austin Community College District (ACC): Fundamentals of Biotechnology, Bioinstrumentation, and Molecular Diagnostics. They were developed with direct input from area Biotechnology employers, of which there are many. Viagen is one of them.

Viagen clones livestock. They use DNA samples to create embryos in a lab, which are then implanted into animals for gestation and delivery. That type of advanced, state-of-the-art science requires fantastically complicated and precise equipment and very highly trained technicians. And, thanks to the funds secured by WorkSource, that’s just what ACC is now able to provide.
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Would You Like Some Coffee with that Change?
Non-profit café provides much more than just refreshments.

On November 26, 2007, Clare Fleming offered hope to a group of ex-offenders at a WorkSource – Career Center. Fleming is the Executive Director of Ventana Del Soul, a non-profit coffee house, cultural center, and training provider in East Austin that specializes in helping youth and adults with disadvantages gain valuable skills. She was at the Career Center to speak to a group of Project RIO* clients and discuss the opportunities that Ventana Del Soul had to offer. These opportunities include On-the-Job-Training at the café, where they would learn every aspect of food service operations: cash handling, food preparation, and food handling. In addition, she informed them that "if they do really well, they can advance to shift manager." And therein lays the hope.

For many ex-offenders, the need is so great to get a job – any job – that they cannot afford the time necessary to increase their skills and improve their job outlooks. For many, a low-wage, low-skill job is their only option. Advancing to higher levels of responsibility, and consequently, higher wages, can be a difficult proposition when it's difficult to even get an interview. The pressures of parole responsibilities and the stigma of a past incarceration can make it difficult to attend training or get a high-paying job.
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Current Worker Training
Four local employers, economy, benefit from investment in workers.

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.
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