Writer: Jerrica DuBois
2 min read December 2022 — Often dubbed as the biggest little town in Texas, San Antonio has set its sights on coming out of the shadows and showing the world why the seventh-largest city in the country is a force to be reckoned with. In the past year, it has launched a work initiative, focused on expanding its airport and is looking at voter-approved infrastructure improvements.
Ushering in this next chapter of economic growth is the San Antonio Ready to Work initiative. Ready to Work was approved by voters in 2020 and is the largest workforce development program in U.S. history that was created by a local community. Launched in May of this year, the initiative provides participants with coaching that will assist them with items that include assessing their personal skills, preparing for interviews, job training classes and understanding employer benefits.
“This directly addresses the talent gap and labor shortage the globe is experiencing,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told Invest:. “We want to turn what is a weakness across the board in the global economy into a strength for the city of San Antonio, and that is talent and the availability of skilled, educated labor.”
Train for Jobs, a pilot program for Ready to Work, was launched in the summer of 2020 to help lower-income residents who became unemployed due to the pandemic learn new skills and land better-paying jobs. According to data provided last month, 3,648 people completed training through Train for Jobs, and 2,214 people secured a job. The price tag of the program was $45 million, roughly $12,000 per training graduate. While it is a bit early to analyze the success of Ready to Work, as the training can last for several years for associate and bachelor’s programs, the city is already within reach of achieving its goal of 9,800 program applicants in the first year. That is a testament to the interest of the community in the Ready for Work program and improving the economic status of the residents of San Antono.
Besides bolstering the labor landscape, another change for the region will be the $2.5 billion-dollar expansion of the San Antonio Airport. The airport is faced with many obstacles and the overhaul is expected to alleviate many of the challenges of the current structure. One of the biggest challenges is the small number of nonstop flights offered out of San Antonio, specifically when compared with nearby Austin, which is a short car ride away.
On the positive side, San Antonio Airport was recently ranked one of the best among medium-sized airports in the country, faring particularly well in the low number of delays and cancellations. But the idea is growth and increased demand for the airport, which means demand for the region as a whole. The airport expansion will include new gates, a facility for boarding aircraft directly from the tarmac, a transportation center and parking garage, and runway and pavement improvements, which includes lengthening the runways to the requirements necessary to accommodate nonstop flights to destinations that are further away.
“We’re in the final stages of the advanced terminal planning that we launched earlier this year,” Jesus Saenz, director of airports for the San Antonio Airport System said in a statement. “In the next 30 to 60 days, we’re going to open up three new gates.”
In May, San Antonians also took to the polls to vote on various public safety and improvement bond measures. Residents were asked to support funding for streets and bridges, drainage and flood control, parks, libraries, and affordable housing. All measures were passed, with the smallest margin still being 60% for and 40% against for the affordable housing proposition.
“The $1.2 billion bond program approved by voters in May 2022 is significant in that it includes all of the basic infrastructure and its development that is necessary for a big city to thrive,” Nirenberg told Invest:.
In the November midterms, San Antonio voted heavily Democratic for local and state races, although the end result gave Texas Republicans a landslide in state races for governor, attorney general, comptroller and commissioners.
Alamo City itself is preparing for more growth and that foresight will serve the city well moving forward. It continues to be a place people want to not only visit but move to, build businesses and raise families, said Nirenberg.
“San Antonio is one of the best places for long-term return on investment for families and businesses looking to establish roots. That’s because of the significant strategic moves we have made to build a strong, firm foundation for the future,” said Nirenberg. “We are being bold about investment and doing what is necessary to achieve it.”
For more information, visit:
