Media

Press Release: Executive Director Announcements

From Left: Alyssia Palacios-Woods, Eva Rios-Lleverino, and Steve Jackobs. MARCH 30, 2022 Contact: Amy Silvey, Director of Development and Communications 512-485-9353, asilvey@capitalidea.org Upcoming Transitions at Capital IDEA Capital IDEA announces Alyssia Palacios-Woods as its new Executive Director, effective July 1. Founding Executive Director, Steve Jackobs, is stepping down on March 31 to devote himself to […]

Expanded Income Eligibility for Travis County & City of Austin

FEBRUARY 21, 2022 BIG NEWS — Residents of Travis County and/or City of Austin have until September 2022 to qualify under our NEW income guidelines and secure their seats in our Career Expressway program. The Career Expressway offers full tuition assistance, textbooks, and more. Residents who apply and get accepted during this temporary extension period […]

map of expanded career choices

Expanded Career List for Hays and Bastrop

JANUARY 28, 2022 BIG NEWS — Capital IDEA is excited to announce that we have temporarily expanded the number of careers available to applicants from Hays and Bastrop counties! This change will stay in effect through September 2022. This means residents who apply now can choose from the same full list of careers available to […]

Press Release: Retiring After More Than 23 Years of Service

JANUARY 13, 2022 Contact: Amy Silvey, Director of Development and Communications 512-485-9353, asilvey@capitalidea.org Capital IDEA announces the retirement of founding Executive Director, Steve Jackobs AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 13, 2022 – After serving as Capital IDEA’s Executive Director since 1998, Steve Jackobs announced his plan to retire in August of this year. “After more than […]

Published: 2020 Annual Report

JUNE 23, 2021 Viewing note: the video components may take a second to load. The digital format is mobile-friendly, but for the best experience, we recommend viewing full screen on your computer, laptop, or tablet. The wait is over– Capital IDEA’s 2020 Annual Report is here! And while you may be understandably hesitant to revisit […]

Partner Spotlight: Our Nurses Aren’t Just Tired — They’re Exhausted

By Jeff Sanchez | FEBRUARY 3, 2021 “There’s a real problem here. Why aren’t we solving it?” When she agreed to take on the project, research fellow Sherry Sybesma had no idea there was a problem at all. But after a year spent digging into the complex issues surrounding our region’s nursing shortage, she couldn’t […]

Published: Capital IDEA’s 2019 Annual Report

JUNE 26, 2020 Dear Friends, As the Chair of Capital IDEA’s Board of Directors, I’m pleased to share our 2019 Annual Report — Read Now ». In previous years, this would have arrived in your inbox in April, but this year has been different for us all. As I revisit 2019 through the lens of […]

A Letter From Our Leaders

JUNE 5, 2020 The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Ramos, and so many, many others confront us forcefully and inescapably with the violent racism endured by our Black neighbors, colleagues, students, friends, and family. We must not forget. It demands that we listen deeply and attentively. We must act. We, as individuals and […]

Season for Caring: Alicia Gonzales

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2019 This year Capital IDEA student, Alicia Gonzales, is a featured family in the Austin American Statesman Season for Caring. Since 1999, Statesman readers have generously donated more than 11 million dollars in cash and in-kind goods and services, all of which have benefited the featured families and hundreds of others like […]

Published: Capital IDEA’s 20th Anniversary Annual Report

Dear Friends, This past year, Capital IDEA celebrated 20 years of lifting adults out of poverty and into living wage careers through education. As an avid runner, I can say that leading Capital IDEA these past two decades has been much like a marathon with progress coming one step at a time. We’ve not only […]

Degree and Certificates Earned

Published: Capital IDEA’s 2017 Annual Report

Highlights From an Oustanding Year 2017 ANNUAL REPORT Capital IDEA’s 2017 Annual Report is now available online. We are proud to share these highlights from an outstanding year of lifting working adults out of poverty and into living wage careers through education. We hope you enjoy reading about student successes because this report is chock-full […]

United Way Wilco Youth Visit

Partner Spotlight: A Day in the Community with United Way of Williamson County

Capital IDEA is honored to be a grantee of the United Way of Williamson County. UWWC unites people and organizations to build stronger communities and improve lives. By stabilizing families, helping kids succeed academically, and empowering good health, United Way is working towards a community where people thrive, lead healthy lives, and everyone has the […]

Escalating Gains: The Full Report

Dear Friends, We are pleased to share the below report with you. The success of any workforce development program is cause for celebration, and we are especially thrilled for the success of Project QUEST. The leaders of COPS/Metro and the San Antonio business community generously shared the Project QUEST model with Austin Interfaith and business […]

Be Your Own Hero

Published: Capital IDEA's 2016 Annual Report

As Capital IDEA approaches its 20th year, we are seeing impacts extend beyond simply good careers for our graduates and new skilled workers for the economy. We celebrated our 1300th graduate last year, Amy Lopez-Escobedo—she not only has gone from struggling in unskilled, low-income jobs to becoming a Registered Nurse, she has now become a […]

Events Capture

Partner Spotlight: Central Health & our 1,300th Graduate!

Hello, my name is Amy Lopez-Escobedo, and I am a proud Capital IDEA graduate, mother of three, and Registered Nurse at CommUnity Care. I always felt destined to become a nurse. Since I was little, my mom noted I had a caring nature and would try to help people when they weren’t well. Knowing my […]

Computer Student

Partner Spotlight: Austin Community College ACCelerator – UPDATED

ACC Expands Career ACCelerator Program June 2016 JPMorgan Chase & Co. has donated $250,000 to fund scholarships for adult students entering ACC’s Career ACCelerator Program—combining instruction with financial assistance, support services, and paid internships to help adults train for high-demand occupations. The Chase donation will fund scholarships for 100 students. “Creating a hands-on learning experience […]

St David's Foundation Awards

Partner Spotlight: St. David’s Foundation

Health care costs are constantly in the news—but seldom is it good news. St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s Foundation have created unique exceptions where the news is invariably good. St. David’s HealthCare includes seven of the area’s leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. St. David’s Foundation reinvests proceeds […]

St David's Foundation Awards

Partner Spotlight: St. David's Foundation

Health care costs are constantly in the news—but seldom is it good news. St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s Foundation have created unique exceptions where the news is invariably good. St. David’s HealthCare includes seven of the area’s leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. St. David’s Foundation reinvests proceeds […]

Emly Image

Partner Spotlight: Central Health

VIDEO: An Austin mom is giving her family a holiday gift they’ll never forget – she graduated from Austin Community College District Associate Degree Nursing Program this week and now plans to help Travis County solve its nursing shortage. Central Health partnered with the City of Austin to secure federal dollars, which allowed Capital IDEA […]

ITT Tech Austin Campus

Capital IDEA: Information for Former ITT Tech Students

In response to the news that many Austin area students have been impacted by the shutdown of ITT Tech, Capital IDEA has put together three short lists of recommendations for those students who wish to move forward in their education and careers. 3 Excellent Education Options in the Greater Austin Area Capital IDEA has worked […]