SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio city staff say they have adjusted its goals for the Ready to Work program. The program designed to train thousands of San Antonians will require some additional funding in the upcoming fiscal year.
Ready To Work, which was a voter-approved project in 2020, started accepting applicants last year. More than 13,000 people have applied according to city staff. On the opposite end of the pipeline, 100 people have been placed in a quality job.
“More people are starting to understand exactly what Ready To Work is, exactly who qualifies and who is eligible for the program, and we’re starting to the conversion rate of applicants to enrollees increase,” Mike Ramsey, Executive Director of Workforce Development says the reason why there is a big difference between applicants and participants is many people are just curious what the program is.
Staff explain that it takes time to filter through the applicants, many of whom may not qualify due to living outside the city limits, making money 250% above the poverty level, and applicants who are seeking a job quickly.
“From 7 weeks all the way up to three and a half years if it’s a degree program…it takes time for individuals to enter into training, successfully complete their training,” Ramsey told reporters.
San Antonio City Council heard a briefing on the program during its B Session this week. According to a staff presentation, 100 people are in a quality job, but 61 of those people were previously unemployed.
“We’ve got over 2,100 people enrolled in training programs that are going to complete and are going to be attractive employees for our community,” Ramsey adds.
A majority of city council members, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg were satisfied with the program’s progress. Mayor Nirenberg says the program was designed to be flexible from the beginning.
Some of the goals for the 2024 fiscal year include a $35.2 million budget. Other aspects of the program include on-the-job training and a paid internship pilot program. If an employer hires an intern through the program, they would pay $5,000 into the city's workforce fund. The city would pay $5,000 in intern wages.
A dashboard of the Ready To Work program can be viewed here.