AUSTIN, Texas — Thousands of workers are needed for big construction projects happening all around Austin.
Mayor Kirk Watson, with the support of several Austin council members, is pushing for an infrastructure academy to be a training hub for the city.
The projects include adding a new terminal at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the Interstate 35 expansion project, Project Connect and renovations to the Austin Convention Center.
“We are about to invest $25 billion into our local infrastructure," Councilmember Ryan Alter said. "We are about to undertake a historic amount of infrastructure."
According to Alter, the city needs to add thousands of jobs each year to meet the demand for these projects. The city hopes a partnership with Workforce Solutions will help get construction workers, skilled trade individuals and the project managers needed to build the infrastructure.
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Ed Latson is the CEO of Opportunity Austin, an economic development organization that helps bring jobs and new companies to Austin. He said he supports the infrastructure academy.
"This is a chance for people in our community to a make a living wage and allow them to live here," Latson said. "It's important for the city and the region that the workforce is in place for these projects to come into fruition."
According to the resolution, the city needs to expand its infrastructure sector by more than 81% by 2040, which means adding 10,000 new workers every year for the next 17 years.
Editor's note: The original version of this article said that Austin was building "new terminals" at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. However, there are currently only plans to build one new terminal. The article has been edited to reflect that.
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