The Greater San Antonio Chamber's Cybersecurity Council met at Port San Antonio last week to discuss various workforce initiatives occurring around the Alamo City to address rapid growth in one of San Antonio's target industries. The meeting also featured a short presentation from Chamber member Fortra to discuss their rebrand from HelpSystems and outline their cybersecurity solutions offerings.
Larry Hurtado (Managing Director, QNext USA) began the meeting by introducing Adrian Lopez (CEO, Workforce Solutions Alamo) to revisit a few key metrics that he presented to the Council in January. With IT/Cybersecurity listed as a target industry in their 2021-2024 Local Plan, WSA has strategically implemented sector-based partnerships to shape curriculum design and develop career pathways that fit the needs of employers. Lopez explained the benefits of partnering with WSA to influence workforce training programs and touched on the latest employment numbers for the city and 13 county Alamo region at large. In conclusion, he gave an update on the Marbach Career Center’s scheduled relocation to Port San Antonio in Spring of 2024, which would bring over 14,000 visitors of the career center to leading employers and facilities housed at Port SA.
Following WSA’s presentation, Chair Larry Hurtado introduced Samantha Coleman (Site Director, NPower) to provide an overview of the program(s) offered in San Antonio and the success stories of their most recent cohort. As a nationwide provider of fast-tracked training, job placement, and social support services, NPower expanded its presence into San Antonio in 2023, along with Harris County (Houston), after a decade of operations in DFW. Serving veterans, military connected individuals, and low-income young adults ages 18-26, NPower launched their Tech Fundamentals program in San Antonio with great success. Their Spring 2023 Cohort boasted a 92% retention rate and graduated approximately 40 individuals. As a Ready to Work training provider, NPower is rapidly growing with the Fall 2023 cohort featuring 63 participants.
Mark Bell (Managing Director, Fortra) stated their HelpSystems' rebrand to Fortra meant to streamline and eliminate the branding on company capabilities. Fortra’s Cybersecurity and Automation Portfolio includes notable companies like Digital Defense, Cobalt Strike, Core Security, Halcyon, and PhishLabs, to name a few.
For more information on the Cybersecurity Council click here or contact Jeff Fair at jfair@sachamber.org.