San Antonio committee forms stakeholder group to study apprenticeship rules and create Trades Advisory Board

The Economic and Workforce Development Committee voted on Dec. 16 to establish a single stakeholder group to develop recommendations on apprenticeship requirements for city-funded construction projects and the structure of a proposed Trades Advisory Board.

The decision follows a staff presentation and more than a dozen public comments from labor leaders and construction-industry groups. Mike Shannon, capital delivery department director, told the committee staff's recommendation is to "establish a diverse stakeholder group that's balanced" and bring back a consensus recommendation in three to six months to inform any policy the council may adopt.

The proposal was introduced as part of two council consideration requests from Councilwoman Terry Castillo and Councilman Jalen McKee Rodriguez. Castillo told the committee the construction industry is “the economic engine of the city of San Antonio” and cited large public investments, including the downtown sports district, to underscore the importance of delivering high-quality work on time.

Speakers at the public comment period were split in emphasis but not in engagement: Lauren Mandel, president of the San Antonio chapter of Associated General Contractors, asked that the advisory body "be reflective of all members of the commercial construction community" and include both union and open-shop contractors so "no one's voice is louder than another's." Michelle Davis, president of Associated Builders and Contractors South Texas, urged caution about a proposed 35% apprenticeship requirement, saying it "not only exceeds the training capacity we currently have in San Antonio, but it goes well above and beyond the federal mandate of 15%." She asked that any requirement be developed by a diverse industry work group with data-driven thresholds.

Council members spent the discussion round pressing staff on several recurring questions: what the cost and staffing implications would be if the city adopted an apprenticeship percentage requirement; whether the Ready to Work program and local apprenticeship capacity could meet an aggressive target; how large and representative a stakeholder group should be; and what metrics would define success for a one-year pilot of a Trades Advisory Board. Shannon said Ready to Work has engaged hundreds of participants and that more specific capacity, cost and staffing estimates would be developed with the stakeholder group and brought back to the committee.

Chair Villagran emphasized the desire for "San Antonio solutions" tailored to local conditions and asked staff for a preliminary cost estimate and timeline to be emailed to the committee, with a fuller update expected by February and a potential recommendation in April'June.

The committee approved the motion by voice vote and directed staff to form the stakeholder group to address both the apprenticeship-review CCR and the Trades Advisory Board CCR. The motion carries with no recorded negative votes in the transcript.

Next steps: staff will convene the stakeholder group, scope its membership and return with cost estimates and a timeline for the committee's consideration.