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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.
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From the desk of Mike Ramsey, Executive Director of the City of San Antonio's Workforce Development Office
What a year! The beginning of July marks the end of Ready to Work’s first year. It has been a whirlwind, and it’s been a pleasure to witness the many leaps and bounds the program has achieved. While we’re still working towards hitting more milestones as Ready to Work scales, let’s look back at where we started and at the collaborative efforts it took to get us here.
We launched Ready to Work with a vision to connect the San Antonio community with premier education and employment, helping participants acquire skills needed to secure great jobs with trusted employer partners, while simultaneously supporting them to overcome the challenges holding them back. In the last 12 months, over 6,400 applicants have completed the intake process and over 3,100 participants have enrolled into approved training courses. Over 330 employers have pledged to support the program and already 136 employers have hired 175 Ready to Work training completers.
Ready to Work is committed to help residents find and pursue their passion. Thanks to our 80+ training providers, we now offer over 1400 courses and training programs, expanding our reach to more quality jobs than ever. From manufacturing to healthcare and even to aerospace, participants can train in industries in high-demand that are well-paid.
Additionally, our Ready to Work team and partner agencies have attended community events all around the city promoting Ready to Work and its support services, ranging from emergency funding to help with childcare and transportation, to record expunction, interview prep and financial counseling.
We can’t thank our partners and our community enough for believing in Ready to Work and the potential of our city. Without your support, this program would not be possible.
San Antonio is a special place, complete with possibility, pride and growth. Our program has earned national recognition for its unprecedented scale, community collaboration, employer engagement, online course catalog, and central data platform. We are also proving the point that when organizations work together, great things can happen.
As we embark on our second year, let’s continue to broaden our scope. Our work has just begun, and we aim to establish Ready to Work as a staple for San Antonio residents looking to improve their quality of life. With your support, we can continue to help our community thrive.
With sincere gratitude,
Mike Ramsey
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Partner Highlight - Opportunity Accelerator
  
Daniel Herrera, Dakota Homsey, and Matt Bernius of Opportunity Accelerator
Our partner spotlight this month shines a light on Opportunity Accelerator (OA), a collaboration of Results for America, the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, Code for America, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab and the W. Haywood Burns Institute. OA is helping Ready to Work promote economic mobility and reduce racial disparities in San Antonio. OA is helping us build our capacity to collaborate better with community partners and residents, to identify barriers to economic mobility, to co-design programs and solutions, and to ensure outcomes that ultimately increase community well-being.
OA and Ready to Work operate with a parallel mission. Ready to Work demographics include significant numbers of women of color and women caregivers. Historically, data reflects that this demographic faces many barriers to workforce participation and stability. Hence, OA has conducted in-depth interviews with current and prospective participants of Ready to Work to better understand the resident experience and to offer continuous improvement.
“All of the Ready to Work participants we interviewed were highly motivated to get better jobs to
improve their lives and support their families,” says principal qualitative researcher Matt Bernius. “As graduates start work and continue on a journey to stabilize their lives, some of these temporary barriers may come up again. Knowing that their employers will stand with them when things get rough will be a huge weight off their shoulders, will help them be proactive in those situations, and will make it easier for them to concentrate on doing their best on the job.”
We appreciate that many of our partners also have similar values. As we continue to work together on future enhancements to the program’s overall success, these shared priorities will help our participants come out on top.
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Participant Highlight - Angelica Hooks
Before joining Ready to Work, Angelica Hooks was a stay-at-home mom. She earned a BS in Biology in 2009 and taught Biology until 2019 when she and her husband decided she could raise their children full-time and manage the household. In late 2022, they started considering options for remote work positions, which is when she became interested in medical coding.
Hooks heard about Ready to Work after applying for prep courses with AAPC, the nation's largest medical coding training and certification association for medical coders. She received a phone call, which she assumed was to request payment. After she mentioned that she was not employed, she learned about the City of San Antonio’s Ready to Work program. Hooks looked through the Ready to Work catalog and saw that the City covered tuition for medical coding and the AAPC CPC exam, and decided to apply.
“Overall, I think my experience was extremely valuable,” says Hooks. “I don't think I would have my high-earning job at Physicians Services Group without the financial help provided by Ready to Work and one of its partners, Project QUEST. This program truly changed the direction of my life.”
As a pre-med student in college, Hooks was already familiar with medical terminology, which was why she chose the medical field. As an additional plus, Hooks was excited about the opportunity to work from home, allowing her to care for her children and her household while doing what she loves. Physicians Services Group hired Hooks almost immediately after she completed her program, and she still works there today.
“Thanks to Ready to Work, I can continue to pursue my passions while also lightening the financial burden for my family,” says Hooks.
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Ready to Change Lives
Thank you to the 335 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 brings benefits to local businesses in the short and long term. These benefits include but are not limited to:
- Access to an 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
Take the employer pledge here.
Employer Highlight - Avanzar Interior Technologies
 Since taking the Ready to Work Employer Pledge, Avanzar Interior Technologies has been great at matching with participants looking to take the next step. As a proud company in the San Antonio community, Avanzar believes that creating opportunities for individuals is as important as supporting the growth of the skilled workforce. Avanzar has supported Ready to Work by engaging in activities, by helping to communicate the value of Ready to Work to the community, by increasing program reach to more potential employers, and by hiring Ready to Work participants.
When looking for future employees, Avanzar seeks out team players with a desire to grow and to increase their skills, and to make a better future for themselves and their families. These attributes create a passionate, hardworking employee who can contribute to the company's success. Avanzar hopes that spreading the wider message about Ready to Work and the many opportunities in manufacturing will increase the number of programs and the number of individuals interested in joining the manufacturing workforce, creating skilled workers who are also team players.
Avanzar urges other employers that may be on the fence about signing the Employer Pledge to move forward with Ready to Work.
“Regardless of your industry, take the pledge as it adds another source of good employees to your pipeline of workers,” says Head of Human Resources Darren Boarnet. “Coordinated programs such as Ready to Work are good for the local community and for fulfilling employer needs. If you aren’t willing to take the pledge, then your voice won’t be heard when it comes to expanding training opportunities.”
Avanzar has found well-skilled individuals looking to make a better future for themselves in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing offers excellent opportunities for hard-working people ready to learn and to grow, as most companies in the industry promote heavily from within. Join Avanzar to fuel your passion for manufacturing!
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Ready to Engage
Upcoming Events
Ready to Work is reaching into the community throughout San Antonio to ensure the program is a success. Whether you are a community-based organization who wants to leverage Ready to Work to assist your client, 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.
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DATE
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EVENT
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| July 10 |
RTW Employer Engagement Subcommittee |
| July 11 |
RTW Community Outreach Subcommittee |
| July 11 |
RTW @ NAMI Greater SA General Meeting |
| July 19 |
RTW @ Trellis Foundation Roundtable |
| July 26 |
JFF RTW Community of Practice (Change Theory) |
| July 29 |
Restore Education Graduation |
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