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

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is collaborating with so many people. The community spirit is alive and well through our prime partners, intake specialists, case managers and those who run the day-to-day show as part of San Antonio Ready to Work (RTW). It’s also evident in our interactions and our work with many others who continuously think of ways to make the program stronger. They include stakeholders, business leaders and peers in the world of workforce development.

I’m excited to share that February will be an exciting time to come together and talk about the ever-changing workplace, the needs of employers and challenges that people face when it comes to working, let alone switching course to train for a new career.

This month, RTW will host a summit to welcome key leaders in the Good Jobs, Great Cities Initiative, a partnership of the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Department of Labor and its Women’s Bureau. This invitation-only summit, titled “Putting Equity into Action with San Antonio Ready to Work – United in Purpose to Expand and Enhance Local Talent Pools,” will be a gathering like no other. We want to take a deep dive into barriers people face, such as childcare obstacles and career readiness. We’ll hold panel discussions, networking opportunities and hear from a host of experts from our own community and from across the nation.

We know that our program is working because business leaders are indeed finding a growing list of talent through RTW. Short-term credentials are booming as reported by Workshift, a digital hub for news and analysis that closely examines education and training in relation to delivering the talent and opportunity that is needed by the workforce.

“It would appear that there is no better time to invest in alternative credentials,” Workshift reported. “Interest rates on student loans are the highest they’ve been in a decade. Employers are loosening degree requirements for jobs, in the midst of advocacy campaigns and a still-tight labor market.”

What does this mean for the work that we’re doing? From a workforce development standpoint, many better-quality, higher-paying jobs are in the trades. There are jobs aplenty locally, with some employers in the trades scrambling to hire qualified people. That seems to be the case across the state as well – Dallas, Houston and Austin are experiencing a similar situation.

Degrees still matter, but experience is key. Internships, apprenticeships and substantial training give employers the confidence they need to hire.

That tells me we must continue to look for opportunities that provide quality training programs. We’re not only using traditional methods, but some very unique approaches. You’ll read about Social Finance’s Pay It Forward program below. The conversations we have in my office, along with our partners and training providers, always ask the question, “How can do we do better?”

I look forward to continuing that conversation with you along the way, as well at our upcoming summit this month!

With sincere gratitude,

Mike Ramsey

Financial Snapshot

The City of San Antonio has spent just $32 million on the RTW program through December 2023, which equates to 14% of its total projected revenues. The funds have been used to provide program intake, participant coaching, case management services, tuition assistance, and emergency funding assistance to participants eligible for services like food or housing assistance, chilldcare costs and other critical needs, and more. The table below details the funding per fiscal year (rounded to millions) through the first half of FY2024.

*FY2024 ends June 30, 2024

RTW’s goals remain the same: To interview 39,000 applicants, enroll 28,000 in training, and place 15,600 in quality jobs over the lifetime of the program.

Participant Highlight - Rene Cuevas thought cybersecurity wasn't his thing. Turns out, it was.

Rene Cuevas is well on his way to a brighter future. The 41-year-old will earn his Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity this Spring, and he’s already been hired as a Triage Security Analyst for the security operations firm, Arctic Wolf.

“I heard about RTW through Hallmark University. They had an after-school financial aid meeting open to all students. I took time to get more information. I learned that RTW helps people get into a specific choice field. Since I was going to school for cybersecurity and looking for an opportunity, I took a chance.”

Cuevas enrolled in Coding Dojo’s cybersecurity training that kicked off his journey. He’d been working at restaurants prior to going back to school, wondering how he was going to take care of his family in the future.

“My life has changed dramatically, Cuevas said. “I went from earning $15 an hour to $30 an hour. My income has exponentially grown through RTW. I would not be here had it not been for RTW. It’s helped me all around, and my income now makes me so much more secure.”

Cuevas said he told his brother two years ago that cybersecurity wasn’t for him, even though he’d always been into technology. But when he and his wife were expecting their first child, it triggered him to start looking for ways to provide for his growing family and he thought again about his feelings on cybersecurity.

“It’s a fast-paced track,” he said. “There are over 700 fields in cybersecurity! I learn best with hands-on experience. I fell in love with it.”

Cuevas experienced obstacles along the way, such as maintaining a working vehicle, securing an internship and completing his bootcamp courses. But with RTW’s support system, he was able to accomplish all of his education and training and dealt with all that life had thrown his way.

“There were people who cared about me furthering my education and preparing me for my new career,” he said. “They’re still checking in on me and my progress. RTW is phenomenal.”

Cuevas said he recommends RTW because the programs are tailored to just about every career path that someone would want.

“They want you to be prepared,” he said. “They really care about you. I would suggest you exploring options through the program to gain the skills to start a career.”

Partner Highlight – Social Finance's Pay It Forward is sustainable to funding workforce development

Partnerships are an integral part of RTW. They range from those on the front lines of registering and enrolling participants, to those who are thinking out-of-the-box approaches to developing a strong workforce in San Antonio with programs that complement what RTW is already doing.

One of those is the national impact finance and advisory nonprofit, Social Finance, that works with public, private and social sectors to build and develop innovative partnerships and investments that aim to measurably improve lives.

Social Finance’s program, Pay It Forward, is an innovative program that helps participating employers hire San Antonians for in-demand roles. Through the program, graduates of RTW are placed in six-week city-sponsored internships with participating employers like CPS Energy, Credit Human, and USAA. Employers who hire participants into full-time roles repay the city for the cost of the internship, and repayments are “paid forward” to expand the program to more participants.

“Workforce development partnerships such as this are key,” said Mike Ramsey, executive director of the City of San Antonio’s Workforce Development Office. “We don’t work in silos. We work in collaboration with various partners, employers, training providers and others who bring RTW to life. This is a shining example of what can be done when opportunity meets preparation.”

Labor demand in San Antonio is high. This talent shortage is particularly acute for businesses in industries such as finance, health care, IT, sales, and skilled trades. At the same time, many San Antonians are looking for better job opportunities, as private sector wages lag well behind state and national averages.

Pay It Forward helps residents develop in-demand skills and move directly into roles that local employers urgently need filled.

“Recruiting, hiring, and retaining top energy industry talent is key to providing reliable service within our communities,” said Michael Clemons, Managing Principal of Strategic Talent and Executive Acquisition at CPS Energy. “Our team is excited to collaborate with the WDO to find local San Antonio talent with the skills and ambition needed to serve our customers.”

“Having a very diverse member base, we understand the importance of building a diverse talent pipeline in the communities where we live and work. San Antonio is home for USAA” said Tamla Oates-Forney, Chief Human Resources Officer at USAA. “In addition to amplifying the hiring of veterans and military spouses, we are looking at emerging pathways to supporting the upskill/reskill of the IT workforce by adding experiential learning through RTW.”

“This program introduces a more sustainable approach to funding workforce development,” Jake Segal, Managing Director of Impact Advisory at Social Finance, said. “Taxpayers are taking on the upfront costs of training—but local employers pay their fair share if they get the talent they need. We hope that this program becomes a model for other cities looking to link public funding to results.”

While the pilot focuses on careers in IT and financial services, the program aims to partner with more employers in other industries—including healthcare and advanced manufacturing—in the next year. Interested employers can visit SocialFinance.org/readytowork. Employers looking to participate in RTW can take the employer pledge. 

Employer Highlight – Cox Manufacturing looks at developing workforce through RTW, Apprenticeship Programs

Cox Manufacturing is a true San Antonio institution. For nearly 70 years, the business has produced parts that fit into fighter jets, dental equipment and oil field machinery. 1.7 million precision components are produced every single week. And all of it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Cox Manufacturing has grown into a mammoth of a company with its 200 employees and five buildings on their only location in northeast San Antonio. But it has humble beginnings and first opened the same year current owner Bill Cox was born – 1956. The company is now in its third generation of family ownership with his son now taking a role as well.

A lot has changed over the years, but talent manager Sean Althaus says many things are exactly the same as they’ve always been.

“Dependability, trustworthiness and soft skills like working well with others and being a team player are all things that we look for in our current and future employees,” Althaus said.

Cox Manufacturing signed on as a San Antonio RTW pledged employer in January of 2022, making it one of the first businesses in the area to do so. Althaus said that while the company looks for IT professionals or managers who come with some experience, most of its workforce starts at entry level and grows internally.

Cox relies on employees who come eager to grow in their profession through RTW training providers. The company is leading their industry with three of its own in-house Apprenticeship Programs that is certified by the U.S. Department of Labor. Other companies seeking to provide similar on-the-job learning opportunities through paid apprenticeships can connect with the City of San Antonio’s Apprenticeship Building America program as well.

Althaus is encouraged by the training and education ecosystem that helps people get into better-quality, higher-paying jobs.

“There are people who are looking to develop their career,” he said. “That’s the type of person we’re looking for. They’re hungry to learn.”

Althaus says he encourages employers like Cox as well as potential participants of RTW to get involved.

“I would ask them, ‘Why not?' There’s not good reason not to,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat. We’ll sink or swim as an economy together. If we can provide jobs and partner up with each other, we’ll all succeed.”

He noted that If you’re going to be successful, you’ll always be learning – whether that’s going into the military, college, or straight to work.

“If you can find a great platform or program to guide you, you’ll be one step ahead of the others,” he said.

Encourage business leaders in your network to take the RTW Employer Pledge today! Visit ReadytoWorkSA.com for more information.

San Antonio Snapshots

RTW was honored to be invited to participate in the Housing in San Antonio event on Saturday, January 27th at Sam Houston High School.

This important event welcomed Adrianne Todman, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to San Antonio, and also hosted a variety of community partners as part of its resource fair, including many RTW partners. RTW’s table was hosted by our partners at Alamo Colleges District, and we were happy for the chance to see our friends at the San Antonio Housing Trust, 311, Pre-K 4 SA, YWCA, and other organizations there too!

We hope to see you at more community events throughout 2024. And if you would like to invite RTW to host a table at your next event, don’t hesitate to email us at RTW.Help@sanantonio.gov.

Ready to Engage

Upcoming Events

RTW 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 RTW 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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