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

Happy New Year! On behalf of all of us at Ready to Work, I wish you happiness and prosperity this holiday season. I appreciate your support in 2022, and I look forward to seeing where the new year will take us. As we look ahead to 2023, let’s focus on the successes we can achieve and the steps needed to get there.

• First, we’ll prioritize the participant experience by expanding our grassroots marketing campaign and assisting participants to overcome everyday barriers.
• Second, we’ll increase our employer engagement. In 2023, Ready to Work plans to host and promote job fairs while conducting our Talent Pipeline Management process to align training opportunities to critical hiring needs. Ready to Work will also increase work-based learning opportunities with pre-apprenticeships, registered apprenticeships, and paid internships.
• Third, we’ll enhance the local workforce ecosystem. Not only will we innovate by digitizing our approved course catalog, we’ll also host an annual Ready to Work Summit for all stakeholders.

The potential we see in this program is limitless. Let’s continue to work together to succeed.

With sincere gratitude,

Mike Ramsey

Ready to Change Lives

Thank you to the over 270 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

Employer Highlight: San Antonio Vascular and Endovascular Clinic,

Represented by Dr. Lyssa Ochoa, CEO and President

The San Antonio Vascular and Endovascular (SAVE) Clinic is a local, innovative patient care center dedicated to meeting patients where they are and by providing them with the detail-oriented care that they need. Dr. Lyssa Ochoa is a board-certified vascular surgeon who established the SAVE Clinic. She has been practicing vascular surgery in San Antonio since 2011 when she quickly recognized that the number of diabetes-related amputations in San Antonio occur at rates up to 3 times the statewide rate in some of the City’s most underserved and socioeconomically challenged zip codes.

Dr. Ochoa knows that collaboration is key to the progression of health care and has partnered with hospitals, care organizations, and nonprofit organizations all over the San Antonio area. Dr. Ochoa has consistently advocated for workforce development and feels that Ready to Work has the potential to develop the growth and skills of San Antonio's residents.

"As SAVE grows and expands to care for more of our underserved populations, we hope that the Ready to Work program becomes a pipeline for recruiting quality, mission-driven employees wanting to attain new skills to obtain a challenging and rewarding career," she said. "A typical SAVE employee wants to serve their community by going the extra mile to care for our patients. We want someone reliable, accountable, determined, motivated and, most of all, driven by the mission. We know that Ready to Work can help produce quality employees that align with our same values."

"There is nothing better than a ‘home-grown,’ motivated member of the San Antonio community to fulfill your needs for qualified employees," she says. "As a business owner in San Antonio, being a pledged employer is an investment into our community, which I believe is our social responsibility.”

As a participant in San Antonio, “If you are willing to do the work, Ready to Work will guide your career journey," Ochoa states. She believes that San Antonio is a community full of potential, and Ready to Work helps fuel the potential for its growth, even for small businesses like hers.

Take the pledge here.

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: Restore Education, Represented by Kelli Rhodes, President and CEO

This month’s partner highlight features a local nonprofit entity that is progressing by leaps and bounds as one of the City's leading educational organizations. As a prime partner for Ready to Work, Restore Education offers many services to fulfill students' educational goals, helping them reach their full potential.

Participants possess many of the qualities Restore Education seeks when hiring its own employees. "We understand that participants come to us with needs beyond education, so our staff must know how to navigate various experiences,” says Restore Education CEO and president Kelli Rhodes. “Our key to success is the strong relationship built between our staff and each participant to guide them along their educational journey."

Restore Education realizes that many San Antonio residents face barriers that keep them in poverty. However, Ready to Work can help individuals and families achieve a brighter future.  Restore Education appreciates that each day is another puzzle piece placed in the big picture. "To truly change a life takes time and investment. We know longstanding issues affecting our community did not happen overnight, so the solutions will also take collaboration, concerted efforts and persistence," Rhodes says. "We encourage those ready to engage with Ready to Work in whatever capacity they can to ensure this initiative is a success. Support your fellow neighbors because it really will take a community-wide effort."

Ready to Engage

Monthly Event Recap

WorkInTexas.com Workshop

On December 9, Ready to Work prime partner, Workforce Solutions Alamo, hosted an exceptional training session to help pledged employers learn the benefits of the Texas Workforce Commission’s online job portal, WorkInTexas.com. Specifically designed to teach employers how to find value in the talents of potential candidates, this workshop helped educate employers about WorkInTexas.com and how it helps prepare participants for new careers. Presenters also shared insights on candidate discovery, job opening posts, and the local labor market.

Thanks to our great employers that attended. By pledging to support Ready to Work, you have committed to developing and sustaining a skilled San Antonio workforce. These sessions are just the first of the benefits that Ready to Work will bring to your companies and the economy.

View the WorkInTexas.com workshop recording here (use password 9aWJQYDa).

Transportation Job Fair

On December 12, Mayor Ron Nirenberg hosted a Ready to Work Transportation Job Fair. The event took place at the Alamo Colleges District and was a unique opportunity for candidates to connect with potential employers.

Over 20 employers with openings in positions such as bus drivers, truck drivers, forklift operators, automotive service technicians, supply chain personnel and more joined the mayor. Ready to Work participants attended, learned information about opportunities in the high-demand transportation sector and even interviewed onsite.

If your company has current or future hiring needs, we urge you to take the Ready to Work Employer Pledge. Ready to Work is opening doors to education and is providing equipped candidates who are committed to succeed in the local talent pool.

Upcoming Events

Ready to Work is reaching into the community throughout San Antonio to ensure the program is a success. Whether you are a CBO 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.

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

Connect with Ready to Work on social media!: 

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn