U.S. Secretary of Labor visits the Alamo Colleges District

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh recently joined Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores, St. Philip’s College President Dr. Adena Williams Loston and others to tour the St. Philip’s College - Southwest Campus as part of his support of the city’s Ready to Work program. 

Alamo Colleges District faculty, staff and students welcomed Secretary Walsh, Rep. Joaquin Castro and Mayor Nirenberg during the U.S. Department of Labor’s visit, which included a tour of technical manufacturing and aerospace training sites and concluded with a roundtable discussion of the importance of workforce training in a strong national economy. 

The visit builds on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Initiative, a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris administration to improve job quality in the U.S. with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s implementation.

“We were honored to welcome Secretary Walsh to St. Philip’s College - Southwest Campus and show how we are training workers to create pathways to high-wage, high-demand jobs,” said Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor. “We thank Secretary Walsh for investing in workforce development to better our community.” 

During the tour, Secretary Walsh expressed his support of Ready to Work and remarked other cities should replicate the program. 

Earlier this year, the Alamo Colleges District was selected as one of the four community partners alongside Workforce Solutions Alamo, Project Quest and Restore Education to implement the Ready to Work program, an educational and job placement program to help San Antonio residents improve their quality of life.

The Alamo Colleges partners with the City of San Antonio to provide training, case management and intake services, thereby building new careers for individuals and meeting the needs of businesses. 

In November 2020, 77% of San Antonio residents voted for the initiative that will train 28,000 residents in jobs that pay more than $15 per hour. 

The Ready to Work program officially launched in April 2022.

To learn more about the program and to apply, visit 069e.com/readytowork