December E-News
WSA Board in Motion
WSA RECEIVES AWARD AT TEXAS WORKFORCE CONFERENCE
WSA received the Board Performance Incentive Award for the Choices Employment Program at the 22nd Annual Texas Workforce Commission Conference, held in Houston November 27-30, 2018. The award is given to the Board area that demonstrates exemplary efforts in serving Choices program customers during the past year.
The Choices program is Texas’ TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Employment and Training Program.

The program assists applicants, recipients, nonrecipient parents, and former recipients of (TANF) cash assistance to transition from welfare to work through participation in work-related activities, including job search and job readiness classes, basic skills training, education, vocational training, and support services.

In providing services to customers in the Choices program, WSA exceeded the goals set by TWC for assisting individuals receiving TANF to enter employment.
WSA BOARD ELECTS 2019 OFFICERS
During the December 14th Workforce Solutions Alamo (WSA) Board Meeting, board members selected Juan F. Solis, III (Branch Banking & Trust) to serve as its 2019 Board Chairman. Also elected during the meeting were Melissa A. Sadler-Nitu (Alamo Colleges) as Vice Chair and John T. Blaylock (Halliburton) as Secretary. 

Juan Solis III was originally appointed to represent the private sector on the WSA Board in December 2017 bv Bexar County Commissioner Chico Rodriguez and the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Solis is a Vice President for Branch Banking & Trust, and previously served the public as District 5 Councilman for the City of San Antonio in from 1992 to 1997, and as Texas State Representative for District 124 in 1999 for one term. 
HIRING RED WHITE AND YOU! JOB FAIR DRAWS CROWDS
The Statewide 2018 Hiring Red White & You! Job Fair was a huge success! The event was held at the Freeman Coliseum on November 8th. The event was the largest attempted by WSA since its inception seven years ago. With 150 employer booths, 48 Veterans Information Village Non-Profit Organizations, and 1,197 job seekers in attendance.

The event had separate entry points for employers and job seekers for easier registration and traffic flow. WSA staff and TWC, TVLP, & USO volunteers were positioned to check employers in and escort them to their assigned booths/tables. There was also an express entry point for pre-registered job seekers. Volunteers were available for assistance, information and traffic control.
 
Employer comments were very positive about the event overall including the quality of the job seekers they met. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
CHILD CARE SERVICES CHANGES THE LIFE OF A FAMILY
Written by Jason Garcia-Trevino, Doctor of Pharmacy
"I stand here today as a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of the Incarnate Word-Feik School of Pharmacy. My daughter was about a year and a half old, and my son was only a few months old when I started school. My wife was the only working member for our family. With a limited income, we sought out assistance programs to help us through the next four years. CCS helped our family a great deal because we were able to find many wonderful day cares within in our area that were affordable and conveniently located on my route to school or my wife's route to work. The assistance CCS provided ensured us that our children would be taken care of properly while we budgeted the rest of our income on regular monthly expenses. I would not have been able to attend school if we were unable to find affordable childcare."
WSA HOSTS COUNTY FORUMS IN BANDERA, FRIO COUNTIES
CEO George Hempe and staff headed out on the road, visiting Bandera County November 2nd, and Frio County December 10th. Representatives from the local communities, including elected officials, economic development & chamber reps, business owners, and school districts attended to discuss what they would like to see in workforce development over the next few years. WSA gained tremendous insight into what challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for these communities, and what we can do to collaborate to grow their business community, train their next generation of workers, and enhance quality of life to encourage sustainable economic and population growth. We are now working with these communities to start interagency groups to continue the conversation.
Workforce Centers Receiving Positive
Customer Service Rating
Workforce Centers throughout the Alamo region received a 97% positive customer service rating for the period 12/10 through 12/17/2018. This rating was given by customers visiting the workforce centers during that timeframe, and rating our services as the exit the facility. Of the 716 customers, 697 provided positive feedback.