City Of San Antonio: District 4 Councilwoman Commends The Unanimous Approval Of SA: Ready To Work Contracts As The Education And Job Pla ...

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

Thursday, February 17, 2022

CONTACT: Rosana Galaviz
Office: (210) 207-5785
rosana.galaviz@sanantonio.gov

SAN ANTONIO (February 17, 2022) – The following is a statement from Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia regarding City Council’s approval of six contracts to provide the City with services in connection with SA: Ready to Work education and job placement program:

“Long before we all felt the economic turmoil caused by COVID-19 pandemic, there were communities in San Antonio experiencing the effects of generational poverty and a lack of public investments. Through the Recovery and Resiliency Program, the City made purposeful investments in Train for Jobs SA as a way to help displaced workers in hard-hit industries. We’ve learned about the wraparound services and level of support our residents need to secure employment and higher wages through Train for Jobs SA.

When almost 77% of San Antonio voted in support of the SA: Ready to Work initiative, we knew there was an overwhelming need for an effective education and job placement program to help residents secure higher-wage jobs in high-demand occupations. The trust our residents have placed in this historic public investment in the lives of our residents should not be taken for granted.

Empowering our residents by expanding employment and educational opportunities is a proven strategy for dismantling the effects of generational poverty and discrimination.
Undoing these effects takes time and one small setback can erase hard-earned progress in our under-resourced communities. Purposeful investments in these communities are an absolute necessity and leveraging partnerships with valued community partners is one of the most effective strategies we have and continue to implement.

I’m grateful to the employers who have signed up for the SA: Ready to Work Employer Pledge and encourage others to sign up. Through regular updates to City Council and a dashboard accessible to the public, we can monitor the progress and make necessary adjustments to the program designed to help residents be successful in their distinct journeys to secure employment.”

Interested residents may pre-register for the program by dialing 311. For more information, visit https://www.sanantonio.gov/workforce/Programs/SA-Ready-to-Work.

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.