SA: Ready to Work Press Conference Set for Monday
February 5, 2022 - San Antonio
Just about ready to launch. On Monday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg (pictured) will host a press conference to share details about the upcoming launch of SA: Ready to Work (RTW), the workforce development program funded by a one-eighth-cent sales and use tax that will be collected through December 2025. Photo: Jade Esteban Estrada.
By Jade Esteban Estrada, Co-Editor | San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- On Monday, Mayor Nirenberg will host a press conference to share details about the upcoming launch of SA: Ready to Work, a workforce development program
- The $200 millon program offers residents tuition, support services, emergency funding, and job placement services
On Monday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg will host a press conference to share details about the upcoming launch of SA: Ready to Work (RTW), the workforce development program funded by a one-eighth-cent sales and use tax that will be collected through December 2025. Seventy-seven percent of San Antonio residents voted for the initiative in the November 2020 election. The media conference will begin at 11 a.m. on the front steps of City Hall.
Several executives from many of San Antonio’s anchor employers will speak about how businesses can inform RTW and will encourage local employers of all sizes to pledge support for the program.
Those slated to be present for the conference include Nirenberg, District 4 Councilmember Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia, City Manager Erik Walsh, Jerry Graeber of Leonard Contracting and the RTW Advisory Board, Kevin Voelkel of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, Sarah Shakil of CAARS and the Small Business Advisory Commission, Frost Bank’s Phil Green, Dan Miller of Methodist Hospital, Jimmie Keenan of WellMed Medical Management, and Jenna Saucedo-Herrera representing greater: SATX.
“When I think about this proposal, my thoughts are with those whose lives are spent in a dire balancing act,” said City Councilwoman Ana Sandoval in August 2020. “That’s who I’d like to see benefit most from this program. I will continue to advocate for the program to help those who most need it.”
The $200 million program offers unemployed, underemployed, and under-represented residents tuition for industry-recognized certifications, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees aligned with targeted occupations in high-demand, well-paid careers; wraparound support services and emergency assistance to ensure training completion; and job placement and retention services.
More information about the program can be found here
Jade Esteban Estrada is a co-editor for the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. jade@sasentinel.com | Twitter: @satx_writer