{"id":270649,"date":"2025-10-02T01:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/270649\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T01:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:32:12","slug":"sa-ready-to-work-program-helping-pay-for-hvac-training-to-address-worker-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/270649\/","title":{"rendered":"SA Ready to Work program helping pay for HVAC training to address worker shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

A lot of those workers are retiring, and training new ones is expensive.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Ready to Work<\/a> program is helping address that problem by paying for the training of new technicians.<\/p>\n

Miguel Espinoza is 58 years old and about to finish the SA Ready to Work program as a certified HVAC technician.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working at dead end jobs,\u201d Espinoza said. <\/p>\n

He said for the first time in his life, he is about to have a career \u2014 not just a job.<\/p>\n

His training through St. Philip\u2019s College HVAC program<\/a> was paid for by the SA Ready to Work program. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea the person that was sitting behind a desk one day that said, you know what, I\u2019m going to do this for the citizens of San Antonio, but I thank Jesus every day for that person,\u201d Espinoza said. \u201cThis is a great, probably one of the best things I\u2019ve ever done in my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s higher the national average. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to help the person, first of all,\u201d said Luke Simons with the City of San Antonio\u2019s Workforce Development Office. \u201cYou want to get them a good job. You want them to have an opportunity when they\u2019re done. There\u2019s also employers who need people, and so Ready to Work is kind of trying to bridge that gap a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simons said they work with Alamo Colleges St. Philip\u2019s to help pay for training for high-demand jobs that pay at least $15 an hour with access to benefits. <\/p>\n

He said this helps boost the local economy and people in San Antonio when they need someone to fix their AC.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Espinoza said he does this for his family and grandkids, showing them it\u2019s never too late to jumpstart a new career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never too late,\u201d Espinoza said. \u201cShe hasn\u2019t sang yet. It\u2019s never too late. I love it. I mean, every day I wake up with a spring in my step. It\u2019s like, I enjoy what I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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