SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio is facing a shortage of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) workers, the people relied on when air conditioners need to be fixed.
A lot of those workers are retiring, and training new ones is expensive.
The San Antonio Ready to Work program is helping address that problem by paying for the training of new technicians.
Miguel Espinoza is 58 years old and about to finish the SA Ready to Work program as a certified HVAC technician.
“I was working at dead end jobs,” Espinoza said.
He said for the first time in his life, he is about to have a career — not just a job.
His training through St. Philip’s College HVAC program was paid for by the SA Ready to Work program.
“I had no idea the person that was sitting behind a desk one day that said, you know what, I’m going to do this for the citizens of San Antonio, but I thank Jesus every day for that person,” Espinoza said. “This is a great, probably one of the best things I’ve ever done in my whole life.”
In 2020, San Antonio voters decided to invest over $200 million in scholarships for people like Espinoza, to help them get started with a career where there is a big need, like the AC heating industry in San Antonio, which has grown 27% since 2019.
That’s higher the national average.
“You want to help the person, first of all,” said Luke Simons with the City of San Antonio’s Workforce Development Office. “You want to get them a good job. You want them to have an opportunity when they’re done. There’s also employers who need people, and so Ready to Work is kind of trying to bridge that gap a little bit.”
Simons said they work with Alamo Colleges St. Philip’s to help pay for training for high-demand jobs that pay at least $15 an hour with access to benefits.
He said this helps boost the local economy and people in San Antonio when they need someone to fix their AC.
Currently, 13,495 people are enrolled in training with SA Ready to Work in industries that range from health care to cybersecurity to skilled trades.
Espinoza said he does this for his family and grandkids, showing them it’s never too late to jumpstart a new career.
“It’s never too late,” Espinoza said. “She hasn’t sang yet. It’s never too late. I love it. I mean, every day I wake up with a spring in my step. It’s like, I enjoy what I’m doing.”
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