San Marcos is opening a new trades training center inside city hall to help meet rising demand for skilled labor across the region.
The center, launched in partnership with Austin Community College (ACC), replaces last year’s pilot heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) training program at the public library. The space was previously used by San Marcos’ fleet division, which relocated to the Public Services Center on McCarty Lane.
With expanded space at the East Hopkins Street facility, the city will now offer courses in welding, plumbing and automotive maintenance, careers that don’t require a four-year degree but do require hands-on skills.
“This expanded workforce training space allows [the city of San Marcos] to provide additional access to courses teaching skills that will help our residents secure meaningful employment and meet the needs of our local businesses,” Hayden Migl, the city’s director of administrative services said at the March 25 ribbon cutting.
That demand is not unique to San Marcos. According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report, 80% of U.S. localities report having trouble finding workers for trade positions like welders and mechanics. These aren’t jobs young people are unwilling to pursue; the problem, the report found, is often a mismatch between training programs and actual employer needs.
ACC builds its workforce courses around input from nearly 100 local business partners. Dean of ACC’s Continuing Education Donald Tracy said the strategy is simple: ask employers what skills they need, then teach those skills.
“We do a lot of listening to employers and others around the community and what the needs are,” Tracy said. “Right now, we’re seeing a huge demand for the skilled trades [in Central Texas], and so those are the very types of programs we’re going to be bringing, initially, into the community through this center.”
The center is also designed to be accessible, which ACC is doing by partnering with Community Action Inc. of Central Texas to help cover course fees for eligible students, removing a key barrier to entry for lower-income residents.
“I can’t understand a better way to move people out of poverty than to offer classes that help people get an industry recognized credential that ultimately lead to a job that is in demand, that’s in our area,” Doug Mudd, executive director of Community Action Inc. said.
For local officials and educators, the training center is as much about economic development as it is about education. Texas State professor Felix Quayson, who studies workforce development, said centers like these help build the labor pool that attracts bigger employers.
“Workforce centers really serve as the portal… that will attract major companies and major talents across the country … to come to San Marcos to also help develop the regional economy,” Quayson said. “[Workforce Centers] end up creating pipelines, work pipelines they end up …overhauling the whole community.”
ACC and the city plan to continue expanding course offerings based on community needs and employer input. The HVAC program is already enrolling students, and other trades programs are expected to follow soon.
“Partnerships help us to connect with students that maybe don’t initially see the college as a resource for them, and gives us a chance to connect with them and support them in their learning needs,” Tracy said. “Partners help us with facilities like the city of San Marcos is doing now, which helps us to get out into the community where [the] people are.”
More information on upcoming classes is available through ACC’s continuing education website.
