On Tuesday, County Judge Nelson Wolff and I hosted a workforce development summit with nearly 150 leaders in the community. We heard from a number of industries and organizations that have built strong partnerships to improve our skilled workforce, and we renewed our commitment to collaborative, public-private strategies to improve our economic competitiveness.

It is fitting that the conversation focused on partnerships. First and foremost, spending public dollars on training and education that don’t prepare our residents for in-demand jobs is not a good investment, and it sets up our residents for failure. Second, collaboration is the way we do things in San Antonio. We collaborate because we believe in this community more than we believe in protecting our turf and self-promotion. We collaborate because we possess a fundamental belief that unless we succeed together, we will fail alone. It’s what assures me that we can successfully tackle the skills-development challenges we have been discussing.

Workforce development concerns are not specific to one sector of our economy or any demographic group. This isn’t about the public sector doing something to benefit the private sector. These are truly community concerns.

Over the past two years, we have developed a number of local efforts, which will now be aligned along focused strategic initiatives under the leadership of the Alamo Colleges. Agencies heading these efforts include San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, Workforce Solutions Alamo, chambers of commerce, SA2020, P16Plus, Alamo Colleges, Region 20, United Way, San Antonio Housing Authority and the San Antonio Education Partnership. The number of agencies involved and plans being developed necessitate strategic coordination.

There is no need for the development of an entirely new strategic plan. The data, research and strategies developed across agencies are strong. They have been grounded in best practices and developed by practitioners with an understanding of the local context. Indeed, San Antonio and Bexar County are well positioned to build a strong and flexible workforce development “system” in a relatively short time.

The Alamo Colleges is well-positioned to move existing efforts forward through its nationally recognized Center for Workforce Excellence. Judge Wolff and I have committed that we will secure new funds and redirect some existing economic development resources to expanding the capacity of the center to carry out initiatives ranging from an adult basic literacy plan to “stackable pathways” to allow residents to fulfill the goal of lifelong learning while maintaining high levels of employment.

As we continue our progress, leadership will be essential. Judge Wolff and I recognize this. We also realize that without a clear vision for the future, we risk achieving less than our community’s full economic potential. We are committed to increasing opportunity for our residents and our employers. We want business to grow and workers to have a chance at high-wage careers in which they can flourish.

While the Alamo Colleges, under the able leadership of Bruce Leslie, chancellor, and Federico Zaragoza, vice chancellor of economic and workforce development, will be the point on our workforce development strategic planning, we all understand that collaboration will be essential for progress. In the coming weeks, the city and the county will work with the Alamo Colleges to develop a plan of action, one that will include resource allocations and strategic alignment of existing efforts.

Judge Wolff and I are excited to embark on this next phase in our workforce efforts. The world economy is more competitive than ever, and San Antonio must have a well-trained workforce to maintain its economic growth. We must continue to offer a foothold of opportunity for the residents of our community, many of whom are at risk of continuing the legacy of generational poverty. We believe the Alamo Colleges offers the best opportunity for this community to continue its growth and remain a beacon of excellence for the state and nation to follow.

Ivy Taylor is mayor of San Antonio.