Fayette County Workforce Matters Coalition Formed

A newly formed coalition charged with finding solutions to local workforce issues hopes to strengthen existing partnerships and support community development. The Fayette County Workforce Matters Coalition, consisting of public, private, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations, institutions, companies, and individuals, will address large, shared challenges facing local jobseekers and employers, such as education and training access, housing, childcare, transportation, and broadband.

“The coalition will work together to establish priorities, identify resources, and determine responsibilities that support workforce and community development. This will allow our region to align and mobilize resources to address structural barriers impacting our communities,” said Craig Moreau, chair of the coalition, and Chief of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for Fayette County.

“We’ve identified three main problems here we want to address first: access to quality child care, affordable housing for families, and training for the healthcare field, as well as computer-related skills. Our businesses are telling us both young and old employees don’t have the skills to use software programs such as Microsoft Office products,” he said.

“This Workforce Matters Coalition is the key to the implementation of our Strategic Workforce Plan for Fayette County and the region,” said Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area CEO Paul Fletcher. “As a data-driven community collective, the coalition will work to address the gaps between skills needed by local employers and skills available by the area’s workforce. We’re excited for the coalition’s support to help strengthen our employer-driven workforce system and bolster local pathways to help guide Texans into highdemand career opportunities that provide family-supporting wages and opportunities for advancement.”

The coalition partners include the City of La Grange, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, Blinn College, Fayetteville ISD, La Grange ISD, Community Action of Central Texas, Combined Community Action, La Grange Chamber of Commerce, Fayette County Habitat for Humanity, AMEN Food Pantry, and Fayette Community Foundation, as well as area employers including Bluebonnet Trails and Texas One Stop.