RETI to be Flexible
Green-collar training to meet needs of new industries

A new education collaborative in Taylor hopes to bring new industry and new job training together simultaneously through the recently announced Renewable Energy Training Institute (RETI).

The RETI will draw on the existing partnership that constitutes the East Williamson County Higher Education Center (EWCHEC) with Temple College serving as the managing partner and Texas State Technical College (TSTC) taking the lead in RETI instruction.

A public-private partnership developed to provide green-collar job training, the concept was born out of interest in Taylor from a number of businesses in the renewable energy industry.

“More than 75 percent of the projects we have been working on over the last 18 months have been renewable energy related manufacturers,” said Taylor EDC President Jason Ford. “We really saw this as an opportunity to put together a program that could allow many types of companies to benefit, not just a few.”

Interest in Taylor has come from renewable energy industries such as wind turbine manufacturing, solar manufacturing, bio-energy and bio-fuels companies and green construction products.

The project got a boost of $805,000 from the legislature at the end of the session and is awaiting the governor’s signature.

There have been some monies put through the legislative process now sitting on the governor’s desk and that’s just a waiting game,” said Temple College Vice President of Academic and Community Initiatives Danette Toone. “Once that’s done we will get specifics on how that money can be spent.”

She said initial planning will go on as they await the specific rules for how the funds can be spent, which may come from the governor’s office, comptroller or perhaps even the Texas Workforce Commission.

The RETI is an innovative education model for a number of reasons including the industry it is focused on as well as how it is structured.

“As green and renewable energy industries begin to take on a bigger focus in Texas, Williamson County is in a fine position to have that type of growth,” said State Representative Diana Maldonado. “Part of my job is working to help bring those opportunities to the district. I’m happy to help ensure we have this new opportunity.”

Bringing in the business

The Taylor EDC continues to work closely with businesses in the industry, hoping the RETI creates one more reason for those businesses to choose Taylor as a new home.

“We’re trying to line up prospective employers that we’ve been courting, in some cases for over a year, and bringing this entity to the table and trying to marry prospective industry, new industry as well as higher education partners to pool funding and resources together to offer a win-win for everyone at the table,” Ford said.

Taylor has been on the doorstep of the high tech industry for years and this is a way to begin reaping the rewards the Austin area has enjoyed.

“It ties in nicely with the Austin region being the clean energy capital,” Ford said. “It takes where Taylor is sometimes considered an island and groups us back in with the rest of the metro area. It allows us to preserve our culture and our identity, but still says Taylor is a part of this Central Texas high tech economy.”

Ford admits you have to bring everything together at once to make the plan a success.

"We can create programs all day long, but unless we have learners, and more importantly jobs for those learners, it does us no good to create new programs,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is tap into existing demand for training from both current employers in Texas tied to advanced manufacturing and renewable energy specifically and then other non-manufacturing companies still considered primary employers.”

Reaping success

The focus on renewable energy industry is expected to create a higher skill level, higher wages and improve the standard of living through these new jobs. But Ford said workers with traditional skills will also benefit.

“I would say this is a game-changing event,” he said. “This does work with some of our existing traditional industry. Much of the renewable energy projects we will see will tie back to either basic or advanced manufacturing. There is going to be a lot of work out there for folks in the skilled trades.”

Organizers have an idea of what the future of the RETI will look like, but the planned flexibility is what many believe makes it truly innovative.

“I think the EWCHEC partnership itself generates how incredibly flexible we are,” Ford said. “The partnership in itself is structured so that if one partner can’t accommodate the needs, another partner can pick up the slack. That will be vital in order for this institute to be everlasting.

“We don’t know what it will look like five or 10 years from now, but we want to set the stage so it becomes as successful as possible long term, but the only way you can do that is by creating a loose framework from the beginning and bringing in all the partners to see what the market needs.”

Starting in our own backyard

It is not enough, though, for the RETI to promise opportunity. It must deliver for industries to buy in and jump on the bandwagon.

“The first thing any company is going to look for when they’re doing their site location work is the availability of current and future labor,” Ford said. “They’re going to look to make sure we have the technical capabilities to deliver the training and that goes beyond us promising what we can do. We have to demonstrate it, and part of that demonstration is creating an entity and assigning resources to it so a company does not have to start from ground zero.”

A project that is expected to evolve over the years like the RETI will need constant nurturing, something all parties involved have dedicated themselves to.

“We’re going to bring colleges, businesses in and that’s one piece of the pie,” Maldonado said. “My job is to make sure as a public servant I continue to do the outreach and continue the plans our stakeholders have laid out. It is important we are all committed to having an educated workforce and this can start in our own backyard. We have to be patient and stay the course on these projects. This is not something that happens overnight, but you have to plant the seed and let it grow.”

In addition to Maldonado, State Senator Steve Ogden and U.S Representative John Carter have played key roles politically in securing funding and generating support for the RETI.

The next step is to work out what training is needed by nailing down the business partnerships, then working out the logistics of providing that training.

"There will be some strategic planning sessions probably within the next 30 days involving all of the higher education prospects - current and prospective - so we can really make this a model based on a market-driven, industry-led training academy,” Ford said.

He believes a contract can be secured with at least one business in the next 60 to 90 days to identify specific training needs and get started. Next will be determining locations and resources for training.

“We’re looking at some facilities now, but it will be based on what specific training will be done,” Toone said. “The facility will be the next important component for this.”

Current facilities for EWCHEC as well as the future building being funded through the partnership between the Taylor EDC, City of Taylor, Temple College at Taylor Foundation, TSTC and Taylor ISD are expected to be used as much as possible. Future budgetary needs and sources of additional funding for the RETI are expected to be identified soon.

“We should have a sense by the end of this calendar year what our longer term operating budget would look like over the next three to four years,” Ford said.