WSRCA adds Caldwell County to the Good Jobs Challenge Grant for its REINVEST Initiative to Bolster CDL, Healthcare, and Skilled Trades Workforce in the County
Oct 10, 2023
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area
CEDAR PARK, Texas ⎯ Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area announces the addition of Caldwell County to the Goods Jobs Challenge grant.
The Good Jobs Challenge is part of a suite of American Rescue Plan programs developed by EDA to equitably distribute its $3 billion allocation to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build a better America by accelerating economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building more resilient, shockproof local economies.
REINVEST added Caldwell County to our communities that will be able to access this grant funding across three sector partnerships: CDL, Healthcare, and Skilled Trades.
The population and demand for services are growing, employers are struggling to hire, and rural workers are struggling to access the quality training and support systems they need to thrive. REINVEST will bridge this gap by linking various resources and stakeholders to transform how these industries recruit, train, and place workers into high-quality jobs.
Understanding the importance of person-to-person relationships and local community expertise, REINVEST will partner with Smithville Workforce Training Center to create industry sector partnerships to address the lack of skilled talent for these growing industries and an insufficiently built out workforce training and support system.
“We are excited to add Caldwell County to the REINVEST grant,” said WSRCA CEO Paul Fletcher. “This expansion provides us with more resources to bolster those efforts by growing our local talent supply chain to build a stronger workforce pipeline into these key industries and continue providing Texans with the opportunity to forge a sustainable career path to support their families.”
“A trained workforce is essential to ensuring that the United States can compete and succeed in the 21st century,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, in a statement. “Thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan, the Commerce Department is able to make once-in-a-generation investments in industry-driven, and locally led workforce systems that will create high-quality jobs and accelerate regional economic growth, especially for underserved communities.” For more information on WSRCA’s REINVEST initiative, the Good Jobs Challenge, or to review other awardee projects and American Rescue Plan programs, please visit the EDA’s website.
About WSRCA:
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area is a nonprofit community partnership providing no-cost recruitment, employment services, and early-learning child care tuition scholarships to empower businesses, employers, and job seekers in the Rural Capital Area of Central Texas. This nine-county region includes Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, and Williamson counties. For more details on WSRCA and the services it offers, visit www.workforcesolutionsrca.com.
