SA: Ready to Work

The initiatives enable workers to be trained in new skills while they're on the job.

The workforce development initiative has so far failed to meet its 80% job placement goals by nearly half for workers who complete the training program.

The $229 million sales tax funded program is one of the first of its kind for the U.S. and Walsh said he’d like to see it replicated in other cities. “Ready to Work '' uses a 1/8th of a cent sales tax to fund job training and new careers for people who have little to no experience in a field that’s new to them. The program kicked off just before this summer and, so far, has about 5,000 applicants going through the process.

After being approved by voters 18 months ago, Ready To Work is taking its first applications this week. The job training program is expected to place more than 15,000 people in jobs by the time it ends in the late-2020s.

SA Ready to Work — the $229 million, voter-approved job program — passed following the worst unemployment spell the city has seen in generations. Now with San Antonio experiencing historic low unemployment, do we still need job training?

San Antonio’s $180 million job training program SA Ready to Work is nearly ready to open applications after the San Antonio City Council approved several final contracts Thursday.