City Council members unanimously approve San Antonio Ready to Work $49
Published on May 16, 2024
SAN ANTONIO (May 16, 2024) — Today the San Antonio City Council unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Ready to Work budget, totaling $49.5 million, which begins on July 1, 2024, and runs through June 30, 2025. The innovative workforce development program facilitates training and education through four prime partners, and a host of community collaboratives work closely with the program to foster and meet program goals.
The budget includes $6 million for the newest work-based learning model programs, On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) which provides funding for companies seeking to train the workforce for specific roles that need to be filled. Through OJT and IWT, employers have the chance to directly impact their workforce and will have the opportunity to increase an employee’s earning capacity. Apprenticeships and the pilot internship program, “Pay It Forward” provide other avenues of training for participants to obtain better-quality, higher-paying jobs that will positively impact them, their families and future generations for years to come.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the issues of generational poverty and stagnant economic mobility for many are too important to ignore. He noted that the voter-supported program underscores the fact that voters, the City, employer partners, training providers and others involved are all a part of the same team, working toward the same goals, and that is keeping everyone from the top down accountable to the public.
“This budget acknowledges the success of the previous year, expanding SA Ready to Work’s offerings to thousands more in our community,” Nirenberg said. “I’m encouraged that we’re affording local employers the ability to accelerate the creation of entry-level vacancies by upskilling and training their current workforce. Moreover, the mechanism by which these employers will be reimbursed ensures that they will only benefit from this program if they adhere to their commitments. That level of accountability is something we should all expect of our public initiatives.
“As we implement our April 2024 pilot On-the-Job and Incumbent-Worker-Training efforts, I believe we’ll be able to provide for a more comprehensive workforce ecosystem in San Antonio. I’m confident that the flexibility of SA Ready to Work will keep the program nimble so that we may provide thousands of our neighbors with better career opportunities while ensuring that all our partners remain accountable to the voters that overwhelmingly approved this initiative.”
Mike Ramsey, executive director of the City’s Workforce Development Office, which oversees the RTW program added, “We engage our prime partners, community champions, workforce leaders, employer partners and our elected officials so that we can offer a robust and impactful experience for our participants. We remain hyper-focused on our people, partnerships and placements into quality jobs. My office works diligently every day to make sure we are fiscally responsible, that we always find new ways to approach challenges and that we continuously improve our processes.”
As RTW moves into its third official year, the program is on the cusp of achieving a major milestone: 1,000 people placed in quality jobs. More than 500 local employers have hired qualified RTW graduates, enhancing the local workforce ecosystem. More than 7,000 people have enrolled in approved training aligned with well-paying careers. Nearly 4,800 are still working toward completing their training. More than 1,600 people have completed training, which represents a 75% successful completion rate. Nearly 80% of program completers have found a quality job within 12 months of graduation. 50% of completers have been hired within six months. For the average program completer, the median household income was approximately $15,000 before coming into the program. The mean annual salary after leaving the program for those placed in quality jobs is approximately $44,000, which reflects a significant increase in household resources.