AUSTIN (KXAN) — Latinos make up about a third of the workforce in Central Texas. However, according to a report by the Hispanic Fund, many are “confined to minimal incomes.”
A workforce readiness program in Austin hopes to help bridge the economic gap. The nonprofit Latinitas created the self-paced course for people to earn certifications in a skill of their choice.
“Latinitas is an Austin based nonprofit empowering girls in their communities through culturally relevant education. We do this through after school clubs, summer camps, conferences and online coding classes,” said Latinitas Executive Director Gabriela Kane Guardia.
The Latinitas Workforce Readiness Program is held twice a year. Guardia said its become one of their fastest growing programs.
A career upskilling initiative that supports adult learners, whether they’re job seekers, career-pivoters or recent graduates.
Guardia said nearly half of participants don’t have a college degree and a majority of them are looking for new employment.
“Mostly Hispanic, mostly female participants in our programs,” Guardia said. “They’re balancing full-time work, caregiving or job search.”
Top certification interests for the program included:
- Project Management
- Data Analytics
- IT Support
The nonprofit also offers in-person workshops in financial literacy, resume building and mock interview practice. Guardia said they just started a new spring cohort for their workforce readiness program.
Registration will open again in the fall with 20 available seats.
Guardia said they’ve been able to expand their youth programs in both Austin and San Antonio, along with a national reach with their online coding program.
“Running a small nonprofit means wearing many hats, and Justworks has been a game changer for us in scaling our organization,” Guardia said.
“They’ve been taking on payroll and HR and compliance off our plate, and so we can focus on growing our programs and building our community.”
‘Beneficial’
For four months, Karlie Ramirez learned the ins and outs of project management.
“We say we want to go back to school, and time gets away from us,” Ramirez said. “I’ve always wanted to go back and study project management and focus on that.”
She participated in the workforce readiness program. Ramirez said she uses this knowledge at her job as an enrollment manager for a local charter school.
“It’s definitely helped me to kind of build out and lay out working in groups, working with volunteers, laying out the logistical side of planning out these initiatives,” Ramirez said.
These are lessons that will stay with her for a lifetime.
“It just is beneficial for not only myself, but for the organizations that I’m a part of,” Ramirez said.