A true success story of the hard work the trade skills training classes are doing, we sat down with Bianca Velazquez to discuss her journey through the program and what the program has meant for her and how the pre-apprenticeship has helped. Read her testimony through the questions and answers below.

Q. What Training Program did you complete?

A. Pre-Apprentice Electrical Training

Q. What organization is your Registered Apprenticeship Employer?

A. CDI Technology Services

Q. What council District do you live in?

A. 8

Q.  How did you find out about Ready to Work (RTW)?

A. Flyer distributed in her neighborhood.

Q. What RTW Provider enrolled you into RTW?

A. Family Service Association of San Antonio and their Financial Empowerment Center.

Q.  How has RTW helped you?

A. RTW has helped motivate me in the right direction to take care of my family. They  helped me achieve my goal of finding a full-time career that I genuinely enjoy and am very successful in. Without the help of RTW, I would have never guessed this would be the direction I would be moving in, I would have never known how well I am in my career, and without RTW it would have taken much longer to find something to help support my family.

Q. What advice would you give someone going through training? 

A. Take the time to learn anything you can. Get engaged, don’t sit back and just observe. You never know how well you are in something unless you dive in, ask questions, and don’t take it for granted. Life is always a struggle, but I do it with a smile on my face knowing my children are happy and healthy!

“My situation started off very rough and now I am enjoying every minute of my life.” Said, Bianca. “Now I am looking forward to my future, thanks to RTW!”

If you are interested in the Trades Skills Training Program, please visit family-service.org/trade-skills-training or call us at (210) 431-4425.