About Us
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Westside Education and Training Center (WETC), located in Westside San Antonio, in the heart of the Edgewood community, opened in 2006 to improve the education and skill levels of students and community residents served by bridging the gap between education and high-skill, high-wage jobs through the alignment of education and workforce development efforts to ensure students and residents with opportunities to acquire the advanced education and skills necessary to be competitive in the workforce and to support the region’s targeted driver industries and the availability of trained and ready workforce. |
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WETC and Lincoln Elementary Share a Common Mission
In 1959, the older WETC building (at the same location) was home to Lincoln Elementary, where both Black and Hispanic children went to school.
Just five years before the school opened, San Antonio was one of the first major cities in 1954 to desegregate its schools following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Many African Americans moved near and around WETC since Kelly Air Force Base/Duncan Army Airfield offered the opportunity of employment as mechanics and as part of the aircraft maintenance crews.
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At Lincoln Elementary, Elizabeth T. Wrenn became the school’s first principal. Before that, she was a teacher at the George Washington Carver School for African American children. Wrenn was also Edgewood’s first Black teacher. In 1968, the Edgewood Independent School District named their junior high after her, which is still open today. The new WETC building will continue Wrenn’s legacy of educating students from diverse backgrounds. WETC Advisory Board Member and social justice advocate Manuel Garza says students who attended WETC affectionately turn the WETC acronym into ‘We Empower The Community’. |
Mission
The Centers serve as "one-stop centers" that meet community members where they are and provide academic and workforce training for student success.
The New WETC
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In May 2017, voters approved $23 million to develop on the current site a brand new, permanent, state-of-art, 45,000-square-foot Alamo Colleges campus. Construction on the new facility began in Spring 2021. |
The new WETC will double the size of the current facility and allow for even greater community impact. It will be capable of supporting an early college high school, college technical and academic programs, and services for the community. The facility is designed with flexibility in mind for future Smart Growth. WETC held its grand opening on March 30, 2023. |
