Latino Academy for Workforce Development Independence Day: Community Driven Services
Baltazar De Anda Santana (center with red tie) and the board and staff of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development with a cake celebrating their independence on February 24, 2022.
By Jonathan Gramling
On Thursday, February 24, 2022, the Latino Academy for Workforce Development celebrated its formal separation from the Vera Court Neighborhood Center, which founded the Latino Academy first as a program of the center. The “Independence Day” event attracted about 200 people to the Garver Feed Mill including Governor Tony Evers, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and UW Health’s Shiva Bidar-Sielaff. In addition to cake and music, Tom Solis, Vera Court’s executive director, was honored for starting the program 10 years ago.
From its beginning, Baltazar De Anda Santana felt, the Latino Academy was bound to become independent in its quest to meet the employment and training needs of the Latino Academy.
“Just like I always said The Latino Academy was born to be independent — and now we are independent — we want more for our students,” Santana said. “I like the fact that leadership is Latino. Now that we have our own board, we as the Latino Academy, an independent organization, define where we are going along with our students.”
From the beginning, the Latino Academy was student — and community-driven. What the academy was currently offering was never enough.
“Students would come and say, ‘Why don’t we do the whole licensing,’” Santana said about a permitting program. “I was like, ‘Do you want to do that?’ ‘Yes, we want to get the CDL Class-B license.’ That’s how we created the CDL Class-B Program. The students have been the ones who have always asked, ‘Do not just give us a little bit. If you are going to be doing something, give us the whole thing. Give us the whole training. Give us the whole certification.’”
From a Vera Court Neighborhood Center program with a couple of paid part-time staff, Vera Court has grown to be an agency with a budget of $903,000 with a staff of five full-time, five part-time and 8 instructors.
“Right now, we have three different areas,” Santana said. “We have transportation, construction and manufacturing. We’re moving into IT. We have around 40 different classes and trainings. We have the ESL and GED in Spanish, pre-GED, financial literacy, computer classes and workplace safety training. We have customer service, bilingual leadership program, a wellness program, and continue to have ServSafe for management. Lately we’ve been very, very successful. In 2020, we were able to graduate in the neighborhood of 60-70 participants with ServSafe certification. And last year, we graduated around 40. In 2020, the reason we were able to graduate so many students was because many of our folks who work in the hospitality industry were the ones who didn’t have a job and had more time to be able to learn more skills so they could have better jobs in the future.”
With its independence, Santana sees the Latino Academy having established a new base by which it will grow beyond the borders of Madison and Dane County.
In the first year, Santana stated in written comments to The Hues, the Latino Academy will strive to “innovate with workforce development models that benefit the whole community; strengthen our already successful workforce tracks which include: Transportation, Construction, Manufacturing, Information Technology and Early Education; and become The Eligible Training Program List accredited; and develop a business partner sponsorship model; increase the Latino Academy staffing capacity with improved compensation and benefits.”
And then within the next few years, the agency will work towards connecting participants to workforce career opportunities that pay at least $17 per hour plus great benefits; creating a Regional Transportation Latino Academy Truck Training Center in South Central Wisconsin; accrediting all of our trainings and program offerings; establishing the Latino Academy throughout South Central Wisconsin; increasing the Latino Academy budget to at least $2 million; and connect participants to career opportunities that pay at least $22.5 per hour plus great benefits.
By five years, Santana plans to “expand the Latino Academy throughout the State of Wisconsin; create a Regional Transportation Latino Academy Truck Training Center in Southeastern and Northeastern Wisconsin; increase the Academy’s revenue from business industries; increase the Latino Academy budget to at least $5 million dollars and connect participants to career opportunities that pay at least $30 dollars per hour plus great benefits.”
And finally by the time the Latino Academy reaches its 10-year birthday, Santana sees the Academy expanding throughout the Midwest; and increasing the Latino Academy budget to at least $15 million.”
Who would have thought 10 years ago that the Latino Academy of Workforce Development would have a budget close to $1 million and a staff of 18 full and part-time people? In his heart, Baltazar de Anda Santana knew. And who would dream that the Latino Academy would become a $15 million regional training organization during the next 10 years. Baltazar de Anda Santana has dared to dream it. And with the push of the Latino community, who knows what the Latino Academy of Workforce Development can achieve? Dreams do come true.
