Workforce

A Highly Educated Workforce. 

A Ready Workforce

Bulverde/Spring Branch has an excellent educational system producing quality talent every year. In 2017, Comal ISD’s Accountability Rating by the Texas Education Agency was listed as “Met Standard” and the District exceeded Target Scores in Student Acheivement, Student Progress, Closing Performance Gaps, and Post Secondary Readiness as well as scored well in Peformance Rates at 83%, Participation Rates at 100%, and Graduation Rates at 100% . In 2017, Comal ISD graduated nearly 1,500 students of which 570 of those students graduated from Smithson Valley High School, the main high school in Bulverde/Spring Branch (a small portion of students living in Spring Branch attend Canyon Lake High School). Additionally, 50 students graduated from the District Wide Memorial Early College High School with St. Philip’s College marking its second class of graduating seniors since the program began. Comal ISD continues to produce some of the nation’s top academic performers. For instance, in November 2017 twenty Comal ISD students earned honors as two students were named National Merit Semifinalists, seven more were named National Merit Commended students, and a record-tying 11 Comal ISD students earned distinction in the National Hispanic Recognition program.

Local high school and college graduates have a desire to find permanent jobs in the area in order to stay in their community and avoid the commute to neighboring cities. Though the economy was originally rural and agrarian in nature, the area has attracted and grown the local talent and and as a result, takes great pride in the fact that it retains the presence of top level professionals as well as skilled tradesmen and technicians.

We have a multi-cultural and multi-skilled regional workforce. In fact, there is a large labor pool of workers within a 60-mile radius. Several of our local workers are underemployed or working at low wage jobs with little chance for advancement and welcome the opportunity to qualify for and secure jobs that have a future.

A Right to Work State

Because Texas is a right-to-work state, employees cannot be forced to join or not to join, nor pay dues to a labor union as a requirement for employment. Texas, one of 21 right-to-work states, has low union membership compared to its neighbors. Bulverde/Spring Branch has no union representation among its primary employers, and compared with its neighbors, Texas has a fairly low union representation rate of 6.7%. According to the Department of Labor, Arkansas has a rate of 7.7%, Louisiana has a rate of 10.1%, and Oklahoma 9.4%.

Workforce Benefits & Training

The Workforce Solutions Alamo (WSA) Care Center functions as a one-stop shop designed to meet the needs of its clients. Employers are able to benefit from the AWS in the following ways:

• Recruitment, screening and referral of qualified, motivated job applicants
• Participation in job fairs
• Assessment of basic skills and work aptitudes of potential employees
• Complete interviewing facilities with fax, phone and computer access
• Listing and maintaining job orders through WORK IN TEXAS and America’s Job Bank
• Job matching services
• Current labor market trends and other labor market information including average wages, industry and occupation growth, turnover rates, and more
• Employment and labor law information
• Unemployment Insurance claims information
• Information and assistance in accessing tax incentive programs
• Assistance in arranging training for incumbent workers
• Referral to education and training providers
• Customized and on-the-job training
• Information on State of Texas employer training programs like the Skills Development Fund and Self-Sufficiency Fund
• Professional outplacement services for companies that are restructuring, downsizing or closing operations

If you are interested in more information, or would like one of their business representatives to contact you, please call us at (210) 224-HELP (4357), toll free at (888) 818-9881.

Employer Incentives

The Skills Development Fund is Texas’ premier job training program, providing grants to community and technical colleges to provide customized job training programs for businesses who want to train new workers or upgrade the skills of their existing workforce. Click here for more information about this program.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal income tax benefit administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for employers who hire individuals from specified target populations. WOTC reduces a business’s federal tax liability, serving as an incentive to select job candidates who may be disadvantaged in their efforts to find employment. Please click here for more information regarding this program.

The Self-Sufficiency Fund (SSF) is a job training program that is specifically designed for individuals that receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) as well as individuals at risk of becoming dependent on public assistance. SSF also assists businesses and trade unions by financing the development and implementation of customized job training projects for new and incumbent workers. Click here for more information about this program.