CNM, City of Albuquerque Announce New Workforce Development Program
On Thursday, Jan. 9, CNM President Tracy Hartzler joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Synthia Jaramillo, Director of Economic Development for the City of Albuquerque, to announce a new workforce development program, Job Training Albuquerque (JTA). JTA enables employers to train their workforce in high-demand skills while awarding the employee college credit or an industry credential for each program they participate in. Ultimately, the goal of JTA is to spur small business growth, job creation and a deeper pool of workforce talent for existing and potential companies.
“At CNM, we’re always ready to join the City of Albuquerque in great collaborations like this one that will benefit the Albuquerque economy, local businesses, and our community members,” President Tracy Hartzler said. “We look forward to delivering the kind of customized education and skills training that will lift up employees while helping small businesses grow and become more prosperous.”
JTA is a partnership between the City of Albuquerque and Central New Mexico Community College, and will be administered by CNM Ingenuity, a workforce training arm of the college. Program funding is provided by the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department.
“Small businesses have made it heard loud and clear; they need a talented and skilled workforce. Today we are responding to that request,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “JTA will fill in gaps left by other programs by providing training in areas like digital marketing, accounting, project management and others. This will result in a deep labor talent pool for existing and potential employers.
“When we first came into office, we consistently heard from small businesses and other employers that Albuquerque lacks a talented workforce and that many small businesses didn’t qualify for other existing programs,” said Synthia Jaramillo. "Job Training Albuquerque fills those needs by providing opportunities for the local workforce to quickly gain the necessary skills and meet the workforce needs of existing and potential employers. We are excited to offer this new program and close the skill gap in an effort to make Albuquerque the best city to start, expand or locate a business.”
JTA provides an opportunity for Albuquerque employers to skill-up their workforce and for employees to gain high-demand skills and industry specific certifications. Initially, JTA will fund in-house training and provide trainings in the following areas:
- Supervisor Skills
- Digital Marketing
- UX Web Design
- Cyber Security
- Accounting & Finance
- Operations Management
- Project Management
- Business & Operations Training for Artisans and Creatives
JTA is designed to adapt to the changing needs of Albuquerque employers. Additional training courses may be added as further needs are identified.
Preference will be given to companies in the industries of: renewable and alternative energy product manufacturing; directed energy; optics and photonics; aerospace and aviation; software and cyber security; film and digital media; biosciences; advanced manufacturing; creative industries; food products; logistics; healthcare; media post-production; and biomedical.
Companies will be required to be:
- Incorporated as a for-profit or not-for-profit entity in the State of New Mexico.
- Headquartered within the Albuquerque city limits.
- A small business with 500 or fewer employees.
- Willing to commit to increasing their workforce by at least one employee in the next two years.
- Willing to send employees to training at scheduled class times.
- Located in Albuquerque for 1 year, or for start-ups, the business owner has been an Albuquerque resident for at least 1 year.
- Trainee position must be full-time (32 hours or more per week).
Additional requirements can be found at the application page here.
For more information on Job Training Albuquerque visit https://jobtrainingabq.org/.