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

Hello everyone! Another month has come and gone, and can you believe we’re almost halfway into 2023 already? I hope everybody had fun celebrating Fiesta and enjoyed at least one chicken on a stick.

These first four months have brought exciting news and growing developments, a trend we expect to continue as we move forward. As you read on, you’ll learn more about the new programs, upcoming events, and collaborative highlights Ready to Work is showcasing as we continue to progress our mission of connecting our community to achieve higher successes.

From San Antonio’s annual city-wide job fair that plans to connect hundreds of residents with profitable work opportunities to our new military pilot program that aims to support veterans, transitioning service members and their families, Ready to Work has been making strides both internally and externally to help those who want to make a difference in their lives.

With sincere gratitude,

Mike Ramsey

Participant Highlight - Rudy Gonzalez

Rudy Gonzalez began his educational journey through the Alamo Colleges high school equivalency program. Now, he is a current Ready to Work participant working with the Westside Education Training Center (WETC). Rudy recently spoke at the grand opening of the new training center, where he shared how education has positively impacted his life.

When Rudy was a teenager, he bounced around to several middle and high schools before dropping out at 16. He was frustrated by losing credits after moving to different schools, which elongated his expected education timeline. After a few years of working minimum wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet, his family encouraged him to attend the Alamo Colleges GED® program. Previously, companies were not interested in hiring him; however, upon receiving his GED®, he’s earning more money and is even studying to get his commercial driver’s license certificate with our Ready to Work program.

This could not have come at a better time, since he just welcomed a baby boy at the beginning of March! Rudy thanks Alamo Colleges and Ready to Work as motivating factors to help him believe in himself. He encourages anybody who’s interested in getting involved to do so now because “they can help set you on the right track.”

Military City USA and Ready to Work

Effective May 1, 2023, Ready to Work is expanding its eligibility guidelines to include military-connected individuals that live within Bexar County.

The one-year pilot intends to support and to retain our military-connected families in the local community while providing local employers additional opportunities to fill critical vacancies with these talented individuals.

Newly eligible if live within Bexar County:

• Active-duty service members transitioning to civilian life within 12 months of separation
  • (Income of transitioning service members is not included in the program’s householding income limit)
• Active-duty military spouses and dependents 18 and older
  • (18-26 for dependent children)
• Reservists and National Guard members
• Veterans and disabled veterans
• Veteran spouses and dependents age 18 and older
  • (18-26 for dependent children)

Learn more about Ready to Work at our website!

Visit Our New Dashboard

We’re excited to announce that our new Ready to Work Dashboard is up and running. This interactive dashboard creates a user-friendly experience for employers, partners, community leaders and candidates interested in getting involved with Ready to Work.

Visitors can navigate through details about Ready to Work applicants interviewed, participants enrolled in approved training programs, or participants placed in quality jobs.

JobFest 2023

Mark your calendars! JobFest 2023 is coming up quickly. Last year’s event was a great success, with around 75 employers and over 400 participants in attendance, and we hope this year will be even bigger and better.

Companies will be on hand with part-time, full-time, and internship opportunities. There will also be no-cost headshots, resume tips, and more to help you grow professionally.

Cohosted by Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Ready to Work, Workforce Solutions Alamo, Bexar County, Goodwill, D2 Strong, and American Methodist Episcopal, JobFest  2023 takes place on June 1 from 4pm-7pm at the ATT Center. We hope to see you there.  Email RTW.Help@sanantonio.gov or RTW.Employer@sanantonio.gov to register.

Ready to Change Lives

Thank you to the 311 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 - Silver Eagle Beverages

This month, we're highlighting Silver Eagle Beverages (SEB). SEB is a premier beverage distributor in Southwest Texas and one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the United States. They have more than 500 employees servicing more than 3,800 accounts in 13 counties in Texas and are committed to providing exceptional customer service and premium beverages.

SEB decided to take the Ready to Work Employer Pledge because its leadership believes in investing in the community. They feel there is no better way to do that than to help people find meaningful employment with a fair wage in return for hard work.

“The Ready to Work program will help connect potential employees to companies looking to hire someone of their background and skill set,” says SEB’s director of human resources Leah Ratliff. “For everybody involved, it’s a win-win situation.”

SEB currently is looking for individuals who may or may not have experience, but who wish to grow their career in a warehouse environment, a merchandising position, or as a CDL driver. Like many employers, SEB is always looking for eager individuals who want to reach their full potential. They have a very high internal promotion rate, leaving room for new hires to join their organization with the same drive and determination to excel as their predecessors.

Silver Eagle has already hired two Ready to Work training completers!

In the News

Recently, Ready to Work graced the cover of the SA Observer. Check out the article about how our training program is a “WIN-WIN-WIN” in the digital issue here.

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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