City committee backs Ready to Work on-the-job and incumbent worker training plan, forwards template contracts to full council

The City of San Antonio Economic & Workforce Committee voted to forward a Ready to Work package to full council that would authorize template agreements supporting on‑the‑job training (OJT) and incumbent worker training (IWT). The committee heard a detailed briefing on program design, award recommendations and employer participation.

Nut graf: Committee members pressed staff on program metrics, retention tracking and employer selection while voting to move the recommended 105 template contracts for consideration by full council; the committee recorded one abstention on the motion.

Mike Ramsey, who identified himself as presenting for Ready to Work, summarized program outcomes and the recommended awards. Ramsey said the OJT and IWT recommendations cover 77 employers and 105 contracts totaling $5,900,000 to serve 2,532 workers. He reported that OJT awards include 28 small businesses with 279 participants and an average cost per participant for small businesses of $5,128; larger‑business OJT awards (employers with more than 100 employees) would serve about 1,100 workers. For incumbent worker training the recommendation included 40 small business awards to serve 471 participants and 21 large‑business awards to serve 682 participants. Ramsey described program limits (OJT capped at $100,000 per employer and $10,000 per worker; IWT capped at $100,000 per employer and $5,000 per worker) and that participants hired under OJT must be W‑2 employees earning at least $20 per hour.

Ramsey said Ready to Work will recommend 44 employers for awards under the package and named several large participants during the presentation, including Toyota Motor Manufacturing, GuideHouse, JCB and Methodist Healthcare System. He said the city requires OJT hires to be Ready to Work participants who live in the City of San Antonio (military‑connected participants may live elsewhere in Bexar County); incumbent worker awards are tied to business location inside the city.

Committee members repeatedly pressed staff on outcomes tracking. Councilman White and others asked for data on job retention, wage growth, career advancement and the pace of Ready to Work’s implementation. Ramsey said retention would be tracked by participating employers for one year after training delivery and that the program is beginning to scale employer engagement and cohort models that pre‑screen candidates and align training with employer needs.

Members also asked about small business participation, second‑chance hiring and whether OJT hires would be W‑2 employees rather than contractors; Ramsey said OJT hires must be W‑2 employees with benefits and Ready to Work is emphasizing employer champions who hire workers with records and other barriers. Council members asked for additional information including turnover rates for employers offered more than 50 OJT positions, revenue information for participating employers, and qualitative analysis on retention drivers (housing, wages, transportation). Staff agreed to provide those follow‑up items to the committee prior to full council consideration.

The committee voted to forward the template contract package to A session for full council approval. A member moved and another seconded; the chair called for aye votes, recorded one abstention and announced the motion carried with all other members voting aye.

The agenda item includes 105 contracts executed through a template agreement at A session; staff noted that full execution of all individual contracts will follow A session approval rather than being attached to the agenda item in full.