* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Austin Transit Partnership and Workforce Solutions Partnership Announcement] [00:00:10] IS THIS MIC ON? LET'S SEE. ALL RIGHT. ARE WE READY? YES. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UH, WE ARE HERE TODAY AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP FOR A VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WILL IMPACT THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN'S WORKFORCE RELATING TO PROJECT CONNECT, INCLUDING AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL AND OTHER MOBILITY PROJECTS. I'M TAMARA ATKINSON, THE C E O OF WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA, THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES AS THE LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNING BODY FOR AUSTIN'S TRAVIS COUNTY'S WORKFORCE SYSTEM. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLANNING, OVERSIGHT, AND EVALUATION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE CAPITAL AREA, WHICH HAS ONE OF THE MOST BOOMING JOB LANDSCAPES IN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT MEANS THERE IS COMPETITION FOR TALENT. THANK YOU, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP FOR HOSTING US HERE TODAY AS WE SHARE EXCITING UPDATES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN'S WORKFORCE AS IT RELATES TO OUR GROWING INFRASTRUCTURE. WE ARE HONORED TO BE JOINED TODAY BY MAYOR KIRK WATSON, A CHAMPION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT AUSTIN'S HISTORY AND FUTURE WHEN IT COMES TO MOBILITY PROJECTS. MAYOR WATSON, THANK YOU. THANK Y'ALL. AND THANK YOU TAMARA. UM, IT'S REALLY A PLEASURE TO GET TO BE HERE TODAY AND BE A PART OF THIS BECAUSE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY IN AUSTIN. A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING, IF YOU WILL. UH, MOBILITY AND CONGESTION AND TRAFFIC HAS BEEN A PERENNIAL PROBLEM IN AUSTIN, TEXAS FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. AND I'M PROUD WHEN THINGS HAPPEN. LIKE GROUPS LIKE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA AND THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP COME TOGETHER TO, AS I SAID, CHANGE HOW WE THINK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT'S FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, I RECENTLY I SIGNED AN EMERGING PROJECTS AGREEMENT WITH THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S, BUILD AMERICA BUREAU. THROUGH THAT PARTNERSHIP AS WELL AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS AND JOBS ACT OF 2021 AND AUSTIN'S 2020 TAX RATE ELECTION, WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT BILLIONS WITH A B, BILLIONS OF BEING INVESTED IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. HERE. THESE PROJECTS INCLUDES THINGS LIKE THE AIRPORT EXPANSION, I 35 RECONSTRUCTION, PROJECT CONNECT PROJECTS, UH, SUCH AS AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, THE CORRIDOR PROJECTS FROM THE 2016 ELECTION. IN OTHER WORDS, MULTIPLE PROGRAMS. THAT STANDING ALONE WOULD BE GENERATIONAL PROJECTS, BUT WHEN YOU PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER, IT'S MULTI-GENERATIONAL PROJECTS. IT'S A BIG THING, AND THAT'S WHY AUSTIN IS THE ONLY CITY THAT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SIGNED THAT EMERGING PROJECTS AGREEMENT WITH SO FAR. SO WITH ALL THOSE INVESTMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NOT JUST FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDPOINT, NOT JUST BUILDING MORE RUNWAYS AND THAT SORT OF THING, BUT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HELP SHAPE DIFFERENTLY THAN EVER BEFORE HOW OUR REGION GROWS. WE CAN TACKLE ALL THESE BIG PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THE, IN THE OR CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE. THINGS LIKE AFFORDABILITY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, QUALITY OF LIFE. THAT'S ALL PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. HERE'S THE KEY. WE ARE NOT GOING TO WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE GOING TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD CAREER PATHWAYS FOR MORE AUSTINITES TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR THEIR FAMILIES. IT IS TIME FOR US TO SEE MOBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS NOT AS A RAIL LINE, NOT AS A RUNWAY, NOT AS ANOTHER ROAD TO BE BUILT, BUT AS COMMUNITY BUILDING. IN ORDER FOR US TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE [00:05:01] PLAN FOR DELIVERING AMBITIOUS PROJECTS, UH, LIKE THE ONES WE HAVE AHEAD OF US AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, WE HAVE TO START BY UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHAT OUR WORKFORCE NEEDS ARE GOING TO BE. OTHERWISE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD AND OPERATE THESE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION THE WAY WE NEED TO. SO WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO NEED IN TERMS OF WORKFORCE TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THE PROJECTS THAT WILL CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE OF CENTRAL TEXAS. I FIRMLY AND STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE PATH TO ENSURING SUCCESS FOR AUSTIN'S FUTURE LIGHT RAIL PROGRAM IS TO BEGIN BUILDING A READY SUPPLY OF SKILLED WORKERS WHO ARE TRAINED AND READY TO BE HIRED WHEN PROJECT CONNECT JOBS OPEN UP WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA SPECIALIZES IN THIS TYPE OF PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS FOR THE CAPITAL AREA. AND I COULDN'T TELL YOU HOW HAPPY I AM AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER TO, TO HAVE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH ATP AND HELPING US SHAPE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO. SO WITH THAT, I'LL BE QUIET AND TURN IT BACK OVER TO TAMARA ATKINSON. BUT I GOTTA SAY BEFORE I BRING HER BACK UP HERE, THANK YOU FOR LEADING ON THIS. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US THE WAY WE OUGHT TO GO AND, AND WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU HERE. AND I'LL SAY THE THING, SAME THING ABOUT GREG. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU Y'ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. NOW THAT YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, LET'S GET TO HOW WE'RE IMPLEMENTING AND PUTTING ACTION AROUND THIS MISSION. TODAY WE'RE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA AND AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP AUSTIN'S WORKFORCE TO ACCOMMODATE THE EXPANDING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN CENTRAL TEXAS. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO. OUR TWO ORGANIZATIONS WILL CREATE THE REGION'S FIRST, THE REGION'S FIRST, WORKFORCE MOBILITY INDUSTRY SECTOR PARTNERSHIP, AND THE REGION'S FIRST WORKFORCE INFRASTRUCTURE ACTION PLAN, WHICH WILL SEEK TO BUILD SKILLED TALENT FROM WITHIN THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY TO MEET THE EMPLOYMENT DEMANDS OF THE REGION AS PROJECT CONNECT PROGRESSES. THIS MONUMENTAL PARTNERSHIP WILL RESULT IN RECOMMENDED OVERSIGHT OPPORTUNITIES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING, ENABLING EFFICIENT AND PRODUCTIVE MEANS TO ALIGN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES THROUGH MOBILITY, TRANSIT, AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. OUR TEAMS TOGETHER WILL DELIVER RECOMMENDED PROCESSES TO REACH UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS ADDRESS THE NEED FOR WRAPAROUND SERVICES. THE WORKFORCE MOBILITY INDUSTRY SECTOR PARTNERSHIP WILL KICK OFF IN APRIL WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ANALYZING THE COMMUNITY'S MOBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEM. THIS WILL INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF OCCUPATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION, SKILLED WORKERS AND RELATED INDUSTRIES. WE WILL ASSESS THE CURRENT WORKER AVAILABILITY, JOB TRAINING CAPACITY, AND THE ACADEMIC READINESS OF JOB SEEKERS IN AUSTIN. THIS IS BY AUSTIN. FOR AUSTIN. BEFORE WE DELIVER THE ACTION PLAN, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS WILL WORK TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS ON THE VALUE OF TRAINING LOCAL WORKERS FOR THESE LOCAL JOBS IN INFRASTRUCTURE. WE WILL ALSO VISIT CITIES THAT ARE USING MOBILITY FUNDS TO CREATE STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND MEET WITH LEADERS THERE TO GLEAN INSIGHTS FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE. THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A SCORECARD FOR OUTCOMES TO MEASURE THE PROGRESS OF OUR PLAN. WHEN IT COMES TO CAREER JOURNEYS, THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH. WE RECOGNIZE THE NEED OF VARIOUS ENTRY POINTS THAT ALLOW FOR JOB SEEKERS TO MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE AND TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS AND ULTIMATELY CREATE PATHWAYS TO UPSKILLING. THIS IS THE CHALLENGE THAT LIES AHEAD, BUT ONE WE ARE INSPIRED AND ENERGIZED BY. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MAYOR WATSON FOR HIS STEADFAST LEADERSHIP AND HIS PARTNERSHIP, AND I FURTHER WISH TO CONGRATULATE GREG CANALI RECENTLY NAMED THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP. GREG WILL NOW SHARE MORE ABOUT ATP'S [00:10:01] GOALS FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP AND THE PLAN. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY THERE'S NOBODY I'D RATHER BE WORKING WITH THAN GREG CANELLI IN THIS PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU, GREG. THANK YOU TOMER, FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. UM, WELCOME EVERYONE TO AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP. WE'RE SO EXCITED WE CAN HOST THIS EVENT AS A COMMUNITY CORPORATION, UM, ENGAGING WITH OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE COMMUNITY IS FUNDAMENTAL AND PART OF OUR CORE VALUES OF WHO WE ARE. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. TOMARA, THANK YOU FOR THE COMMITMENT THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM TO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND THE REGION'S WORKFORCE IS UNMATCHED. AND MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT AND CONTINUED SUPPORT IN LEADERSHIP AND CHALLENGING OF ALL OF US TO COME TOGETHER TO GET BIG THINGS DONE AND TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGES THAT THIS CITY IS FACING. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AS WE KNOW, AUSTIN'S POPULATION IS RAPIDLY CHANGING AND GROWING AS WE CONTINUE TO BE A DESTINATION FOR BUSINESSES AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS NEED TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE AS WE GROW OVER THESE YEARS. AS A REALLY KEY COMPONENT OF PROJECT CONNECT. AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP IS COMMITTED TO DELIVERING A CORE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS ALL PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND THE JOBS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT MATTER FOR US. AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, IN, IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER. IT'S CORE THAT WE'RE DOING IT FROM AN EQUITY PERSPECTIVE AND LIVING WITHIN OUR BUDGET AS A COMMUNITY CORPORATION, WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING ALL OF THIS WORK IN A TRANSPARENT MANNER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE GETTING THE FEEDBACK AND TO THAT WE NEED TO INFORM OUR DECISIONS AS AS AS WE ADVANCE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL. AND WE'RE EXCITED THAT ON MARCH 21ST, WE'RE GONNA KICK OFF, UH, OUR COMMUNITY PROCESS TO FINALIZE AUSTIN'S LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION. AND WE ALSO COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED TO LAUNCH THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH TAMARA AND HER TEAM AT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA. CUZ AS WE BEGIN TO EXPAND THIS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AUSTIN, WE ARE GONNA NEED HIGHLY TRAINED, SKILLED WORKFORCE THAT CAN DO THE WORK. AND THAT EXACT, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS WILL DO. THE HOPE IS THAT THESE CANDIDATES THAT WE HIRE WILL GO ON TO HAVE PROMISING CAREERS IN AUSTIN IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT IS KEY TO US AS AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND AS A COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY, AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE ARE IN A COMMUNITY BUILDING PROCESS BY BUILDING TRANSIT AND BY BUILDING LIGHT RAIL AT THE, AT THE END OF THIS THOUGH, WE ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY AND OUR PEOPLE ARE AT THE CORE OF THAT COMMUNITY. AND HIRING LOCAL TALENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE POSITIONS IS CRITICAL TO OUR REGION'S ECONOMY. AND AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO AUSTIN'S FUTURE, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSE AND QUALIFIED WORKFORCE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BRING IN OUTSIDE BUSINESSES AND AS IMPORTANTLY, SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. THIS NEW GENERATION OF TALENT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN'S FUTURE. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US THAT WE WORK TOGETHER TO HELP BUILD THAT FUTURE. AND SO WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA AND ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PATH AHEAD AS WE WATCH THIS PROGRAM UNFOLD. AND WE WILL REMAIN A STEADFAST PARTNER WITH YOU AND THE CITY AS WE PROGRESS ALL THIS WORK AHEAD. SO THANK YOU. YOU WANT US SIT AWAY FROM THE PODIUM? YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS, INTERVIEW ARE ABLE TO STAY. OKAY. I'M GONNA NEED TO RUN, SO LET ME JUST ASK ANYBODY HAVE A QUESTION FOR ME? I NEED TO RUN TO ANOTHER EVENT THAT YOU GUYS MAY BE RIGHT ON MY TAIL TO COME TO. I HOPE SO. UH, ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU'ALL. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.