Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores speaks in October 2019 at Thomas Jefferson High School as the district launched Alamo Promise. Now, the Alamo Colleges District is preparing to open Alamo Technical Institute with the goal of making it easier for anyone to upskill, reskill or pivot in the workforce.
Ronald Cortes/Contributor
The new Alamo Technical Institute will offer a single point of access for acquiring short-term credentials.
Alamo Colleges District website
We often hear that San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, with new jobs and investment.
But as a recent New York Times article notes, decades of low wages and limited access to education and housing have kept many residents from reaching the middle class.
Article continues below this ad
That is the challenge before us — ensuring that the region’s growth translates into economic mobility for the people who call San Antonio home.
For years, the Alamo Colleges District has been working to streamline the paths students take to start building career pathways into in-demand industries. This summer, the Alamo Colleges will launch a solution to help our residents.
Our new Alamo Technical Institute will make it easier for anyone to upskill, reskill or pivot in the workforce. A first in our district’s history, ATI will offer a single point of access for acquiring short-term credentials.
ALSO READ: Property tax changes hit Alamo Colleges finances in 2027 budget outlook
Article continues below this ad
ATI is designed to offer adult learners a seamless way to access workforce training. This one-stop shop includes personal success coaches who guide learners from start to finish. This enables the Alamo Colleges to close gaps between open jobs and residents open for hire.
The launch of ATI comes at a pivotal moment for workforce education. With federal Workforce Pell training grants on the horizon and employers across key industries facing persistent talent shortages, the demand for fast, affordable and career-aligned training has never been greater.
Our board of trustees committed time and resources to this focus on workforce development. Too many learners, often struggling to make ends meet, turn to expensive for-profit providers for help. Our new gateway to workforce training aligns the knowledge learners need with what employers want through fast, affordable and trustworthy offerings.
As ATI grows, the Alamo Colleges could become the training center of Texas. In fact, our goal is to double workforce training capacity by 2030 — a vision made possible by the voter-approved $987 million capital bond. This bond will provide a multigenerational benefit through expanding facilities to scale high-demand programs.
Article continues below this ad
As we reflect on Clint Kingsbery’s final month as chair of the Alamo Colleges District board of trustees, note that numerous operational improvements were made during his tenure.
We’ve set new records, with almost 15,000 graduates and 90,000 learners enrolled. We won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award a second time. Our advising model is award-winning. The culmination of innovations, like ATI, has distinguished Alamo Colleges, and Bexar County, nationwide.
Under Kingsbery’s guidance, Alamo Colleges celebrated many outcomes aligned with the board’s shared vision and the operationalizing of charges he championed over the years. Having a board that never lets policy drift from the people it affects has made actualizations possible.
Kingsbery’s own initial struggles in college illustrate our advantage. After failing out of a four-year university twice, he enrolled at San Antonio College and found his footing. It led Kingsbery to a career in education. This is the story of our learners.
Article continues below this ad
San Antonio families are breaking generational cycles of poverty through higher education, with the Alamo Colleges central to change. Alamo Colleges has expanded access to higher education and bolstered student success through programs like AlamoPROMISE and by providing learners personalized advising with wraparound support.
Now, ATI is clearing financial and logistical barriers to expedited employment success.
More individuals are seeking pathways that lead directly to jobs — prioritizing speed, flexibility and return on investment over traditional four-year routes.
ATI meets these forces, positioning the Alamo Colleges as the region’s workforce engine and a national model for what comes next in higher education.
Article continues below this ad
Reaching our moonshot of ending generational poverty in our region through education and training is done one learner at a time.
Let’s unite to make these pathways attainable for all types of learners.
Mike Flores is chancellor of Alamo Colleges District. Clint Kingsbery is chair of the Alamo Colleges District’s board of trustees.