PURPOSE-BUILT TALENT PIPELINE
Bastrop County Workforce Development
Engineered for the Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, and AI Industries Moving Here.
Why This Page Exists
When EdgeConneX, Greenport, SpaceX, Acutronic and Wyldwood chose Bastrop County, they were not just buying land. They were buying access to people who can operate chip fabs, maintain data centers, weld aerospace components, manage film productions and staff jet engine facilities.
This page shows investors, site selectors and policymakers exactly how that workforce is being built, school by school, program by program, apprenticeship by apprenticeship.
The Bottom Line By the time a ninth grader at Cedar Creek High School graduates, they can hold a Level 1 advanced manufacturing credential, 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training with a federally registered apprenticeship, and 60 hours of college credit toward an associate degree. That is not a promise. That is already happening.
The Anchor:
Austin Community College Elgin Campus
98 acres. Bastrop County's first higher education institution. A $25M expansion already underway.
Translation for Industry
If your facility requires a specific credential, ACC Elgin can build it. They already have, repeatedly, and they have the bond capacity to keep doing it.
Austin Community College opened its Elgin Campus in 2013 as the first college campus in Bastrop County history. Located on a 98-acre site off U.S. Highway 290, it now serves as the higher education backbone for every ISD in the county and for every employer recruiting here.
Programs Built for the Industries Already Here
| Program | What It Trains For |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Technology | Large and small animal clinical practice, surgical support |
| Sustainable Agriculture | Farm-to-market operations on 17 acres of working farmland |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Production technicians for aerospace, semiconductor and automotive |
| Skilled Trades | HVAC, welding, electrical, mechanical systems |
| Core Academic Transfer | University-bound students earning 60 credit hours toward a bachelor's |
| Digital Media & Design | Creative production for the Wyldwood Studios / Line204 pipeline |
Industry Partnerships Already in Motion
- Bastrop ISD's P-TECH academies grant students dual credit and Level 1 certifications through ACC
- Colorado River Collegiate Academy allows Bastrop ISD students to earn an associate degree and a high school diploma simultaneously, at zero cost to the family
- Elgin Early College High School delivers the same dual-credential pathway for Elgin ISD students
- Career Tracks (Smithville) is an official ACC workforce partner, feeding students directly into ACC credentialing
- Acutronic's A3 Apprenticeship layers ACC certifications on top of federally registered apprenticeship hours
The $25M Bond Expansion
In 2022, ACC kicked off a $25 million bond program dedicated specifically to expanding skilled trades and advanced manufacturing programs at the Elgin Campus. That expansion is a direct answer to what Tesla, SpaceX, Acutronic, EdgeConneX and Greenport said they needed.
The Arrival:
UATX Applied Engineering Lab
Fall 2026 opening. On the Hyperloop Plaza corridor. Curriculum co-developed with SpaceX and The Boring Company.
Translation for Industry
If you need engineers who have already touched your problem before you interviewed them, they will be training a hundred yards from your front door.
The University of Austin (UATX) is building its Applied Engineering Lab directly adjacent to The Boring Company headquarters and across the street from the SpaceX Starlink factory on FM 1209. This is not a satellite office. This is a full STEM research and education facility embedded inside the most advanced industrial corridor in Central Texas.
What Makes This a Generational Win
- Curriculum co-designed with industry. Senior staff at SpaceX and The Boring Company have direct input on what gets taught. Students train on the exact problems the neighboring companies are solving right now.
- Co-op programs already active. UATX students have already completed a two-week intensive with The Boring Company, working on underground detection and communication technologies. The lab formalizes what is already working.
- A private, STEM-focused research university. UATX welcomed close to 200 students for its second full academic year and is expanding rapidly. Bastrop County will host its first physical research facility.
- Direct industry pipeline. For any company locating in the FM 1209 corridor, UATX is the closest thing in America to a dedicated in-house engineering school.
The Workforce Converter:
Career Tracks
93% job placement. 800+ students trained. 500+ full-time hires. All from a nonprofit in Smithville.
Career Tracks is the fastest, most direct route from unemployment or career change into a full-time job in Bastrop County. Headquartered at 404 Fawcett Street in Smithville, the nonprofit operates across Bastrop, Caldwell, Fayette and Lee counties.
Four Career Pathways
- Medical Field: Advanced EMT, Dental Assistant, Hygienist, LCDC, LVN, Paramedic, RN, Public Health.
- Culinary Field: 10-week program with ServSafe certifications. Places 40 workers across 10 restaurants per cycle.
- Information Technology: In active build-out.
- Skilled Trades: Anchored by the Jan 2026 opening of Cybertex Institute of Technology.
New in 2026: Cybertex
In January 2026, Career Tracks dedicated a new Training Center in Smithville. Austin-based Cybertex signed a 42-month lease and now operates its third campus there, offering Medical Assistant and HVAC programs. For every data center, factory and hospital opening in Bastrop County, HVAC technicians and medical assistants are immediately needed. Cybertex is training them here.
Translation for Industry
If you need 20 entry-level hires in 90 days with documented certifications and a 93% retention track record, Career Tracks is the phone number you call first.
The Foundation: CTE and P-TECH Across Four ISDs
More than 20,000 students across four school districts, funneling into high-demand career pathways before they ever leave high school.
Bastrop ISD
Bastrop HS, Cedar Creek HS, Colorado River Collegiate Academy, Genesis HS
Elgin ISD
Elgin HS, Elgin Early College High School
Smithville ISD
Smithville HS, Smithville Junior High
McDade ISD
McDade HS
Bastrop ISD: The Flagship
Bastrop ISD operates the most developed P-TECH ecosystem in Central Texas. Opened in fall 2022, the program offers two flagship academies:
- Advanced Manufacturing Academy (Cedar Creek HS): Production Technician Certification, Level 1 credentials, and apprenticeships with Acutronic, Tesla, Dovetail.
- Health Science Academy (Bastrop HS): Pharmacy Technician Certification, clinical placements with St. David's and Ascension Seton.
Colorado River Collegiate Academy
Ranked #1 high school in Bastrop ISD by U.S. News. Students graduate with an associate degree from ACC and a high school diploma simultaneously at zero cost. 93% reading proficiency compared to state average.
The Acutronic A3 Apprenticeship
A U.S. Dept of Labor Registered Apprenticeship. Students earn 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training alongside Journeyman Technicians, graduating with Level 1 certifications in advanced manufacturing. The first cohort was formally hired by Acutronic in May 2025.
Elgin ISD: 17 CTE Programs
Elgin ISD runs one of the broadest CTE catalogs in the region, including Automotive, HVAC, Welding, IT, Software Development, and Healthcare Diagnostics.
Elgin Early College High School (P-TECH)
Dual-credit partnership with ACC Elgin. Features a P-TECH Welding program with AWS D1.1 and D9.1 certifications, creating a path to a Level 1 Welding Certificate plus an associate degree.
TCS Mechanical Apprenticeship
Operating across multiple ISDs including Bastrop and Elgin, this five-year union apprenticeship program guarantees students graduate debt-free, with Journeymen earning up to $94,000 per year.
Smithville & McDade ISDs
- Smithville: TEALS partnership with Microsoft Philanthropies brings computer science courses delivered with industry volunteer instructors. Direct feeder into Career Tracks.
- McDade: Small K-12 footprint that plugs its graduates directly into the county's shared CTE and dual-credit infrastructure through ACC Elgin.
The Stack: How It All Connects
For a company considering Bastrop County, the education and workforce system works as a stack, not a menu. Every layer feeds the next, measured by job placement and industry certifications.
For Site Selectors and Corporate Investors
If you are evaluating Bastrop County for a facility, here is the single most important workforce fact:
We do not need to convince schools, colleges or nonprofits to build programs for your industry. They already have.
The apprenticeship models, dual-credit pipelines, P-TECH academies and industry-certified programs exist right now, graduating students right now, and being hired by companies right now. An incoming employer is plugging into an already-running system, not commissioning one.
Bring Your Project to BastropSources and Verification
All data on this page is drawn from primary sources and verifiable reporting as of April 2026: Austin Community College District, Elgin Campus and Elgin EDC • Career Tracks • Bastrop ISD, Elgin ISD, Smithville ISD, McDade ISD public records • Texas Education Agency • Community Impact Newspaper, Elgin Courier, Austin Business Journal • U.S. News & World Report, Texas Tribune • Bastrop Economic Development Corporation • University of Austin (UATX) official announcements.
*Data verified April 2026. Program details and enrollment numbers are subject to update each academic cycle.