To meet the scale needed to support the boom of advanced manufacturing (high tech, including semiconductor manufacturing, semiconductor equipment, and electric vehicles) happening in Central Texas, E3 Alliance formed a Tiger Team to revitalize the student-to-workforce pipeline.  

Made up of leaders from industries, school districts, colleges, and community organizations, the team recently set objectives and strategies to tackle solutions that will pave the way for economic mobility for thousands of students and adults. 

“We’ve already seen promising alignment opportunities across this workforce pipeline that can amplify some great work already being done in the region,” explained Kyle Seipp, E3’s Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness. “Our marketing and communications campaigns are well underway, outlining the unique opportunities right here in our backyard for jobs in robotics, automation, engineering, programming, and production.” 

FOUR FOCUS AREAS 

Through the shared effort of many individuals and entities from across the ecosystem, the Tiger Team members collaborated across four committees to drive this regional initiative. 

Focus 1 | Stakeholder Alignment  

Committee members are addressing: 

• Misalignment in the K-12 Programs of Study into the Postsecondary Level 1 Certificate. Members are defining the need for a Regional Program of Study that tightly aligns the high school and postsecondary experience to industry needs. 
• Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) overhaul of the Programs of Study that have helped tighten the alignment between STEM and manufacturing in Central Texas, supporting the rapid expansion of the semiconductor sector. However, traditional and general manufacturing are still driving forces of our local economy.  
• Continuing education as the catalyst into the career pathway for high school students and a targeted entry point for reskilling and upskilling adult learners in a focused, two-generation approach.    

Focus 2 | Strategic Marketing and Communications Campaign  

Committee members are: 

• Pinpointing, understanding, and clearly communicating the precise manufacturing careers available in Central Texas, as well as the earnings potential and value to society associated with those careers. 
• Defining how career and technical education and academic pathways stack into traditional academic degrees. 
• Developing a regional vocabulary to ensure consistency across PK-12, higher education, and industry partners. 
• Conducting interviews with industry champions to craft a unique value proposition and align student motivation that ensures a sense of belonging and the ability for our workforce to Live Here, Work Here, Stay Here, and Thrive Here.    

Focus 3 | Impact Lab-Based Space 

Committee members are exploring: 

• Accessible, credentialed, and appropriately supplied facilities space that Central Texas school districts, together with Austin Community College, and other Institutions of Higher Education can use for level 1 certifications, applied associate degree coursework, and stackable credentials. 
• The potential for multiple entities to come together to build and renovate deliberate regional hubs to mitigate access barriers across the Central Texas region. 

Focus 4 | Faculty Capacity and Credentialing 

Committee members are researching: 

• Ways to meet the faculty credentialing required in our high schools and institutions of higher education with regional partners, state associations, and needed policy changes. 
• Partnerships to tighten the connection between industry and education to ensure that students maintain a meaningful connection to manufacturing. 
• Approaches to align and complement existing regional efforts for developing pre-service teachers. 

To join the effort, please email Kyle Seipp, Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness.

Read more about the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Profile from the Austin Chamber of Commerce.