A Word from Workforce Executive Director Mike Ramsey: Ready to Work is making huge strides in 2024!

Big steps are being taken here at San Antonio Ready to Work (RTW), and our publicly-facing dashboard is back up and running after a transition to a new Salesforce central data platform. Here's what we're seeing: 

• 6,352 people have enrolled in post-secondary training programs to date;
• 970 people have already completed their training programs; and
• 536 people have already reported higher quality, better paying jobs!

These numbers keep moving in the right direction, with our prime partners, City staff, training providers, employers and others pushing forward to create a better, more collaborative workforce ecosystem by the day. Remember, each of these numbers represents a person whose life is being positively impacted by RTW.

A few other notes...

RTW wrapped up its highly successful 2024 Summit, "Putting Equity Into Action" powered by the National League of Cities’ Good Jobs Great Cities Initiative and the US Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, where an incredible lineup of speakers, thought provokers, local business leaders and national representatives discussed, brainstormed and took action to expand equity in workplaces. They also dove into solutions to childcare barriers that present themselves to parents who want to work.

The City's Department of Human Services released its 2024 Status of Poverty report. It found that even though the employment rate is slightly higher in San Antonio than the national average, people are not earning enough to cover their basic needs. It confirms that there is a significant income disparity within the city. RTW is vitally important to helping address this longstanding issue in San Antonio. Check out the report here.

Participant Spotlight

Meet Felix Flores

Felix Flores is one of the newest members of the Workforce Development Office staff. He is also a proud RTW graduate!

Felix comes to RTW after completing his cyber bootcamp through Alamo Colleges. He says the entire process was incredibly smooth, from intake to completing his bootcamp course requirements.

"I always believed in the 'always learning' mindset,'" he said. "My situation as an unemployed but educated individual made me want to enahance my cybersecurity skills. The RTW program, through its Coding Dojo: Cybersecurity Bootcamp, offered exactly that. This was an opportunity to stay updated in the field while continuing to look for my next career move."

Partner Spotlight

Texas A&M University-San Antonio

We asked Texas A&M University-San Antonio about its partnership with RTW. Here’s what they had to say!

Q: Why is it important for your organization to be a part of the Ready to Work Program?

A: Texas A&M University-San Antonio serves as a testament of Texas State Senator Frank Madla’s vision and advocacy. He proposed to establish a thriving urban university where diversity and heritage were celebrated, enhancing the southside communities and creating pathways for economic mobility. Nearly 20 years later, here we are- serving the Southside community and creating life-changing opportunities for our students, through collaboration with other community partners, much like Ready to Work.  

Q: What innovations do you see happening in Ready to Work? 

A: Perhaps the most impactful innovation is the solid partnership with employers who make a commitment to support RTW by supporting its participants. Employers are critical to the success of this initiative since the commitment to the citizens of San Antonio was to improve quality of life by improving income through high demand occupations. 

Employer Spotlight

Tri-Starr Talent

San Antonio’s Tri-Starr Talent, a registered RTW pledged employer, not only talks the talk. The company walks the walk.

For more than 30 years, Tri-Starr Talent has been connecting people to new careers, working toward better retention rates for employers and supporting job-seekers find their passions.

So it come as no surprise that Tri-Starr’s vision aligns perfectly with the mission of RTW.

“We’ve been doing this work for a long time – connecting talented people who are ready to work to employers seeking a dedicated and skilled worker,” said Jana Berton, president and CEO of Tri-Starr Talent. “It resonates with us. RTW is doubling down to help people who truly want to better their education and skills to find meaningful work. That speaks to our calling.”

Berton looks for employees who match the company’s core values: inspiring hope, innovating continuously, acting as trusted advisors and winning or losing together as a team.

That's exactly why Berton partners with RTW - because it is the perfect pairing of a mission and vision to make San Antonio's workforce the best it can be.

Ready to Work Snapshot - In the Community

Making Every Opportunity Count

Are you excited about Spring? The Ready to Work team is out and about, attending important community events and making many connections!

Here's what we've been up to!

• We visited with students and community members at the Municipal Court Senior Summit where SAISD high school students received important information about how Ready to Work can help them in their future endeavors.

• We met with folks at the CPS Small Business Support Fair!

• Our team participated in the Texas Women in Trades (TexWIT) parade and rally at Main Plaza!

• We attended a classroom paint and upgrade day at Sam Houston High School with LiUNA Local 1095, in conjunction with our Workforce Development Office - ABA program. The community give back day helped us connect further with our community. LiUNA Local 1095 is a pledged employer with Ready to Work and has a pre-apprenticeship program at Sam Houston.

• We celebrated Black History Month at "Working Beyond the March," a special event dedicated to honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through community engagement and empowerment, and at our 2024 Summit, we joined in with business leaders, friends and folks from national, regional and local organizations to brainstorm equity in the workplace and tackle the barriers that families face where childcare is concerned.

Word of mouth is one of the most common ways San Antonians hear about Ready to Work, and we like to think the most effective one. A face-to-face conversation can be so impactful, especially when that person can understand your goals, aspirations, and reservations. If you meet our team at a community event, we hope you will share what you’ve heard with your friends, colleagues, and family members you think might benefit.

Don’t be shy, we would love to talk to you!

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.