Ready to Work is the Bridge to Belief:

• Belief in every person’s ability to contribute;
• Belief in every person’s right to pursue happiness;
• Belief in the value of traditional and non-traditional education; and
• Belief that we all have the power to change the future when we work together.

From the desk of Mike Ramsey, Executive Director of the City of San Antonio's Workforce Development Office

Ready to Work is off to a great start since the public launch of the program on May 16. In just three short months, we are pleased to say that more than 4,500 people have applied for the program. Six participants have already completed their job training and have earned Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), one of whom has already found a job with a local construction company. Ready to Work, and all of our partners, are working hard to meet the needs of our community.

In June, the Biden-Harris Administration kicked off a summer-long Talent Pipeline Challenge to fill high-quality jobs that will help rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and supply chains in the U.S. and continue our transition from a historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth in the years ahead. We certainly appreciate that the business community has rallied around Ready to Work.

We are leading the nation in this effort. This support will create a new pool of educated talent to help grow and expand local businesses. 221 businesses have already taken the Ready to Work Employer Pledge, but our work must continue collectively. We ask our business leaders to inform their peers about the benefits of the program, and to encourage more employers to take the Employer Pledge. We also ask employers to share with us their specific talent needs by attending Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) sessions. In fact, we are already sponsoring TPM collaboratives in healthcare/bioscience, manufacturing, and construction to determine the critical needs and talent pathways in our local market. We are also hosting relevant roundtables, to share best practices in areas such as hiring second-chance individuals and those with disabilities.

Overall, we are thrilled that people are taking notice. In fact, not only are we making waves in San Antonio, we are shining brightly on a national level for the unprecedented work being done to better our community. Ready to Work will be highlighted at the TPM National Summit hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC on September 27. The City and several of our local leaders (San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Greater SATX and Alamo Colleges District) have been invited to present.

Thank you to each of you for your continued support. Together, we are ready to change lives and ready for continued success.

Sincerely,

Mike Ramsey

Ready for the Future

We are proud to celebrate the six Ready to Work participants who have already completed their training programs and earned CDLs. Joseph Garza was the first participant to secure job placement with a local construction company. Garza pursued his career path with Ready to Work prime partner Project QUEST and completed his training through St. Philip’s College.

“I always wanted to be a truck driver but was never able to save up to get my CDL, but Ready to Work helped me do that,” Garza said. “I have a wife and three kids and with the costs of everything going up, I needed something to better provide for my family. This new job will allow me to do that and get on track to provide a better financial future for my family.”

Eric De La Rosa also completed training and earned his CDL. De La Rosa grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Southwest High School. He continues to interview with local truck driving companies until he finds his desired position. His goal now is to save enough money to buy his own truck and trailer.

“At first, I didn’t believe it. Because the course I went through, they help you out, you don’t have to pay out of pocket for anything. They provide a uniform, food; they even help with bills if you need assistance, so that was really helpful,” said De La Rosa.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg is proud of this Ready to Work milestone and especially proud of the participants.

“Our community came together to make this program happen, and this is just the beginning. We look forward to continuing its progress and helping our friends and neighbors create their own success,” Mayor Nirenberg said.

Ready to Work in the News

Our own Ben Peavy (Ready to Work Advisory Board Chair, and Accenture Federal Services Chief Information Officer) made national news for his role in supporting Ready to Work!

On July 31, the San Antonio Express-News featured Ready to Work in article on the front page of its SA Inc. special business section, “Initial Trainees Graduate as Voter-Approved (SA:) Ready to Work Program Lifts Off.” To learn more about the participants and the four prime partners hired to take them to the next level, read the article here. Don’t forget to share this story on your social media channels! 

The Ready to Work team recently won a nearly $3m grant from the Department of Labor to expand and enhance pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs!  See more in this SA Report article.

Ready to Change Lives

Thank you to the 221 local employers that have pledged support for Ready to Work. Employers will help guide the desired training and education of participants to help improve our local economy and to ensure the ultimate success of the program. Being an active and engaged business leader bring benefits to local businesses in the short and long term. These benefits include but are not limited to:

• Access to expanding talent pipeline 
• City-funded training and educational benefits for eligible employees
• Input on approved training catalog
• Enhanced network of workforce agencies, community resources and local training providers
• Increased contracting and subcontracting opportunities
• Workplace diversity
• Economic development for San Antonio

Employer Highlight of the Month: HOLTCAT / Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Represented by Peter John Holt

HOLT CAT and Spurs Sports & Entertainment are growing organizations, entrenched in the San Antonio community, and they are looking for dynamic ways to engage with amazing San Antonians looking to grow themselves. For that reason, Peter John Holt took the Ready to Work Employer Pledge and stepped up as a business leader to do his part to invest in the community that he calls home. 

Holt, CEO of HOLT CAT and Managing Partner of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, is also a proud Advisory Board member of the Ready to Work program. He understands that people want to grow and develop themselves with mutually beneficial, value-based companies. For that reason, Holt says that as a pledged employer, his companies are using the Ready to Work branding and working with partner agencies to identify qualified candidates to join their teams.

“We have a wide variety of open opportunities across all of our businesses given our current level of growth,” Holt said. “While we are always looking for great people to join us as Heavy Equipment Technicians, we are also looking for folks to work in our Parts Warehouse, on our Aerial Work Platforms, as Heavy Haul Drivers, as Systems Analysts and in our Sales organization, to name a few.”

As a pledged employer, HOLT and many more organizations help inform the Ready to Work program about the needs of the local business community. They provide valuable insights to better ensure that the talent pipeline is aligned with in-demand, higher-paying jobs, and as a result, qualified and motivated participants are trained accordingly. Ready to Work supports participants with training, education, and support services to those who are ready to improve their lives.

“We need private companies to step up! Too often companies complain about not having qualified workers then they don’t take any action when available resources come up,” Holt said. “Take the pledge, make a small investment of time and find some mutual wins for our community.”

Are you ready to take the Employer Pledge? Click here to learn more.

Ready to Serve

The City has partnered with over 30 local organizations to implement the Ready to Work program.

• Creative Noggin, COPS/Metro, MM Creative, and Black Business San Antonio are assisting with community outreach and marketing.
• SA WORX is assisting with employer engagement.
• Workforce Solutions Alamo, Alamo Colleges District, Project QUEST and Restore Education are the City’s prime contractors for intake, assessment and case management services. Subcontractors include Avance, Barcom, C2 Global Services, Chrysalis Ministries, Dynamic Advancement, Empyra, Family Service Association, Goodwill Industries San Antonio, Graduation Alliance, Our Community, Plumquest, Profile Design Studio, SA Food Bank, SAISD, SeeKing HR, Texas A&M San Antonio, WHY Group, Worldwide Languages and YWCA.

Partner Agency Highlight of the Month: Chrysalis Ministries, Represented by Nino Tarantino, CEO

The mission of Chrysalis Ministries is to equip and empower individuals and their families to overcome the consequences of incarceration. Chrysalis is an interfaith agency that began in 1941 as Bexar County Detention Ministries with a small group of local pastors who provided worship services and pastoral counseling at the County Jail. Incorporated as a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) agency in 1972, Chrysalis staff and volunteers provide case management, workforce development services, religious services, support groups, and/or educational classes in 15 adult and juvenile detention and treatment facilities in the San Antonio Metropolitan area. Our Family Renewal Center, located at 509 San Pedro, serves as our outreach center and administrative offices.

Q:  Why was it important for Chrysalis Ministries to be a part of the Ready to Work Program?

A:   It is the only agency in Ready to Work that specializes in incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Q:  What are some key qualities that are important to Chrysalis Ministries in its case management approach?

A:  Our self-proclaimed two rules to live by are:

1. No judgment
2. Never lie to a client

It is very common that upon entering our program and assimilating back into society, these individuals are untrusting. We believe that empathy along with those two rules is foundational to building trust. We are open and take more of a conversational approach to assessment and building relationships. We continue to empower and build each relationship with strong follow-up.

Q:  What piece of advice would you give to employers as they prepare for trained Ready to Work candidates?

A:  Understand that there are requirements of probation that are out of the participant’s control. For example, a parole officer may require them to check in at 10 am on a particular day that may occur during an assigned work shift. In addition, many will have transportation and childcare limitations.

Q:  What is one piece of advice you might give a potential prospect that is hesitant to participate in Ready to Work?

A:  We have to understand that they have never pictured themselves in a solid career or job. We build them up and give them hope. We encourage past clients to share their success stories so that we can pass them along to potential participants. Through healthy conversation, we encourage the potential participants to share all their barriers so we can help to address them.

Q:  What is one final sentiment you would like those that are reading the Ready to Work newsletter to know?

A:  We know that we are oftentimes the final opportunity for this audience. If we don’t do the best work we can, we will fail them. Doing the best work is connecting them to any other agencies that can support their individualized journey. We need everyone in the program because each agency offers valuable and unique opportunities for success.

Ready to Engage

Upcoming Events

Ready to Work is engaging all the audiences throughout San Antonio to ensure the program is a success. Therefore, the team has a constantly evolving list of events and meetings to listen and to educate people about the Ready to Work program and how to be involved. Whether you are a community-based organization who can help reach the people of San Antonio who need support, or a business owner interested in taking the Employer Pledge, there is a place for you at the table. Below is a partial list of upcoming events. If you are interested in having Ready to Work be a part of one of your events, please contact rtw.help@sanantonio.gov.

Want to learn more about what Ready to Work offers? Click here!

Connect with Ready to Work on social media!: 

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn