Rackspace Hosting has partnered with Alamo Colleges to provide job training using a $2.5 million Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

Rackspace CEO Lanham Napier stated that "Rackspace fully understands the importance of a highly engaged, cloud savvy workforce. We are thrilled to be partnering with Alamo Colleges and see this as an exciting step forward in our journey to bridging the IT skills gap."

"This grant will provide training for skills that companies would have previously had to search for globally," said state Sen. Carlos Uresti. "We are pleased that this partnership will result in good-paying jobs here in Texas."

"This partnership is good for our families, good for our businesses, and good for San Antonio," said state Sen. Donna Campbell. "Together, the State of Texas, Alamo Colleges, and Rackspace are creating 1,000 new jobs and providing workers with opportunities to develop the skills that will ensure Texas remains a leader in 21st Century technology."

From the program's inception in 1996 through 2012, Skills Development Fund grants have created or upgraded more than 286,000 jobs throughout Texas. The grants have assisted 3,901 employers with their customized training needs.

"Skills grants deliver customized training solutions that help Texas employers and workers succeed in the marketplace," said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar. "This investment builds not only employee skills, but the capabilities of our community colleges to the benefit of employers and the community. We are pleased to make this investment."

The grant will be used to custom train 1,000 new workers, as well as current Rackspace employees, in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, and will provide cutting-edge training on technologies that support the Rackspace open cloud platform.

Those trained will include technicians, Linux administrators and software developers. Upon completion of training, the new workers will earn an average hourly wage of $25.38.

"We have enjoyed a highly successful partnership with Rackspace in helping the company train the skilled workers they need," said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie. "Partnerships such as this illustrate Alamo Colleges' flexibility in addressing the needs of local employers while also providing students with tangible economic opportunities," he added.

The Legislature appropriated $48.5 million to the Skills Development Fund for the 2012-13 biennium. Employers seeking more information about the Skills Development Fund may visit the TWC website at http://skills.texasworkforce.org.