SAMMinistries Middle-skills Job Initiative Subsidized Employment Training Program

SAMMinistries is looking for participation for their middle-skills job initiative subsidized employment training program.This initiative will consist of providing individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in San Antonio with the assistance needed to obtain certifications and/or subsidized employment training in one of the industries that has been identified as having a “skills gap” by San Antonio’s vision for the future known as SA2020. These industries are healthcare/ biosciences, information technology/information services, and automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

The goal of the MJI-SET Program is to provide the opportunity to help individuals achieve higher-paid jobs by providing support for education and training in specific industries.  By targeting this initiative to specific industries SAMMinistries will be helping to lower the unemployment/underemployment rate, bridge the “skills gap”, and ensure that the San Antonio community thrives. At the conclusion of the required education and training, the objective is that individuals will be added to the workforce who are trained and ready to fill job openings in high-demand occupations.

Through its positive reputation and relationships with employers in the community, SAMMinistries will establish agreements with local businesses in the targeted industries to establish a Subsidized Employment Training (SET) Program. It is to be understood that the SET Program is a Training program. The employer agrees to fully train a SET trainee for the agreed upon job or position, and treat them as a regular employee for the agreed-upon training time, without further obligation to retain the trainee once the trainee has successfully completed the training.   The SET Program will be a unique opportunity to link unemployed or underemployed job seekers with employers who are interested in training new employee prospects. The SAMMinistries Job Coach will be the primary liaison ensuring that the employee and employer’s needs are met. An agreement between SAMMinistries and the participating employer will identify each party’s obligations. 

An overview of such agreement is as follows:

SAMMinistries will:
1. Recruit and screen for program participants
2. Refer eligible candidates to employers for initial interviews
3. Act as liaison between trainee and employer
4. Monitor progress and intervene as needed to help resolve issues
5. Reimburse employer 50% of their normal wage for the cost of extraordinary training expense related to the additional supervision of a SET trainee, not to exceed $3,500.00 (approx. $14.00 an hour) for a period not to exceed twelve weeks.
 
SET Employer will:
1. Agree to accept and train a SAMMinistries SET candidate in a high-demand occupation
2. Agree to train participants in new technologies and provide new skills that will increase workplace literacy in high-demand occupations and will increase participants’ marketability
3. Agree to not use this program to displace current employees
4. Understand that the SET contract is limited to the period of time required for a participant to become proficient in the occupation for which the training is being provided
5. Consider trainee for permanent employment if opportunities arise (not required)
 
For further Information about this opportunity, or if your organization wishes to participate, please contact Robert Mendoza, Sr. Manager of Workforce Development for SAMMinistries at 210-452-9710 or rmendoza@samm.org