The Alamo Workforce Development Board sites Texas Workforce Centers.  Last June, I encouraged the Board to make it a priority to place one on the Eastside at the earliest possible moment.  Today it is reality.

          Let's review why in an area that has seen its fair share of challenges, the Eastside was overdue for this Center.  Presently its satellite only contains Choices or employment opportunities for people receiving welfare, TANF or temporary assistance to needy families, Welfare to Work for the hardest-to-serve welfare recipients and Job Placements for anyone seeking employment.  Unlike the East Side satellite however, the four other workforce centers all provide the following services:

• Youth Program (employment opportunities and training)
• Unemployment Profiling Program (assessments of job-seekers for most effective placing of prospective employees)
• Workforce Investment Act (job-training for disadvantaged adults)
• Veteran Services (to better find jobs for and enhance opportunities unique to Veterans)
• Employer Services (recruiting, screening and matching employers with employees)

          In addition to having adequate services in this full-service center, transportation will cease to be such a barrier to accessing these services.  At present, a person attempting to reach the Gembler Road site by taking the bus from the near Eastside or Southeast San Antonio would likely have to go all the way to downtown and then back out to Gembler Road.  This can take as much as two hours.  At present, many of the customers living near Gembler Road are ironically, logistically easier situated on the bus line to reach other more distant Workforce Centers than Gembler.  According to my research, about 2,064 people living in the Gembler area are doing this monthly!  A better placement as well as a bigger location will cure this.