AUGUST 12, 2021 — UTSA’s Senior Vice Provost of Strategic Enrollment Lynn Barnes Jr. convened with other city leaders for a virtual panel discussion Wednesday. The Future of Higher Education and Workforce Development was the last event in the three-part Education Forum 2021 series hosted by the San Antonio Report.
The forum focused on how the city of San Antonio and higher education entities can collaborate to develop a skilled workforce.
The participating leaders discussed a soon-to-launch city and higher education collaborative. The four-year initiative aims to provide the education and training needed to elevate workers into skilled, high-wage jobs in health care, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity.
Lynn Barnes Jr.As San Antonio engages in ambitious workforce development, the panelists convened to inform the community of the work that’s underway as part of San Antonio’s recovery and resiliency plan, and how organizations geared toward economic development can collaborate with higher education entities to develop a skilled workforce.
“UTSA’s goal is to be part of this initiative to provide solutions for our students, especially those facing challenges and were not able to finish a degree,” Barnes said. “Our team has been focusing on alleviating the administrative barriers and being able to re-engage students in the education pipeline to continue on into the workforce,” he added.
Conversation panelists included Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District chancellor; Alejandra “Alex” Lopez, San Antonio assistant city manager; Romanita Matta-Barrera, SA Works executive director; and Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Texas A&M University-San Antonio president.
Lopez emphasized the importance of coordinating with the entities involved and the need to support local organizations and institutions.
“We realized there is a need for a quick action to help our residents and pivot programs as necessary,” Lopez said. “There are many employers in the community that have needs, the programs are geared to bridge the gap between the employer needs and make sure the residents have access to those skills.”
Matta-Barrera went on to discuss how this partnership is crucial to continuing the conversation about acquiring market intelligence.
“What are the jobs? What are the skillsets needed for the local workforce?” she asked. “We have direct relationships with all the employers and we continue to talk about what are the talent needs so we can align the training and educational opportunities we are seeking to recruit in S.A.”
SA Works leads economic and workforce development for the San Antonio region. Along with its partners, SA Works recruits new companies to San Antonio, creates global business relationships, helps local companies grow and helps builds the local workforce.
Flores echoed the importance of collaboration and collective effort. “One of the most important things is that we don’t compete with our other institutions,” he said. “We are competing against generational poverty.”
He also stressed the importance of being able to overcome the challenge to produce local talent.
“The majority of high school graduates are not not going to secondary school, not seeking another degree,” Flores concluded. “All of our partners are here to continue efforts to provide more local talent in high-wage demand sectors.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Join the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
