Thank you for your interest in Vision 2025 Goal 2 - Optimize The Regional Talent Base.
Each Strategic Action below will form a workgroup. Please select as many Strategic Actions/Workgroups you wish to support and join. You will be contacted soon with information about upcoming meetings.
A. Strategic Action #1: The Education and Workforce Council launches its first year of operation, establishing working goals and task forces.
1. Outcomes should include conducting a regional assessment of education assets as well as the workforce ecosystem that impacts the way students, jobseekers and employers access education & training, housing, childcare, transportation, and broadband throughout the region.
2. The Council will report their findings and recommendations to the community by the end of year two.
3. The Council may adopt one or two high priority action items to launch this year, eg. how to bring technical trade skills to underserved areas of the region, how to fulfill high demand workforce needs of employers, etc."
Championed by Paul Fletcher, CEO of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area. GSMP liaison Barbara Thomason will assist.
B. Strategic Action #3: Leverage the BRE data base to inform cluster-mapping efforts to identify opportunities to in-source purchases currently made outside the region
Championed by Bucky Couch, co-owner of the Centerpoint Plaza Shopping Center. GSMP liaison Barbara Thomason will assist.
C. Strategic Action #5: Develop and launch an online job-internship-apprenticeship clearinghouse with a primary focus on opportunities in the Hays and Caldwell county regions. Championed by Lorraine Lane, Executive Center Director of Gary Job Corps. GSMP liaison Barbara Thomason will assist.
D. (Goal 1 in strategy) Strategic Actions #5, #6, #7: Establish an entrepreneur training system/accelerator program in collaboration with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at TX State University, such as Kauffman’s FastTrac or other, to provide a supportive ecosystem for business start-ups throughout the community and to position The Greater San Marcos region as the Texas Innovation Corridor for Start-Up and Accelerator Excellence.
1. Develop a task force of stakeholders to assess the opportunities and cost-benefit.
2. Research and visit other accelerators to benchmark.
3. Seek funding mechanisms to bring the program to a reality. Launch the program by the end of 2022.
Championed by Dr. Shannon Weigum of Texas State University. GSMP liaison Barbara Thomason will assist.