TX Fast Track Program

Roman Sanchez, a TX Fast Track graduate, says the training helped his confidence: “When I walked in, I knew exactly what I was looking at.” The free, 10-week program in Bexar County prepares residents for careers as entry-level manufacturing and maintenance technicians.

The city selected TX Fast Track under its Apprenticeship Building America grant, says Deborah Carter, Bexar County’s director of economic and community development. We made this video about it for City of San Antonio Workforce Development. Deborah says the program is 30% classroom and 70% hands-on, with an 87% placement rate. At the time, she says, graduates were making an average of $27.20 an hour, and most had been underemployed or unemployed before.

Avanzar Interior Technologies makes automobile interiors like seating, door and overhead systems, says Christian Guerra, its president and chief executive officer. “To date, we’ve hired 15 team members through the program,” he says, and from his perspective, candidates come in “ready to hit our shop floor on day one.” Steffi, our executive producer, interviewed Christian on the company’s San Antonio factory floor. At the plant, she also talked with Roman before his interview.

For anyone hesitant about joining the program, Christian says, “it’s not as hard as you think because it’s plug and play.” Near the end, Aaron Edgley, another TX Fast Track graduate, sums it up: “I’ve got purpose.”