'Job Training Albuquerque' Increases Training Options to Support Economic and Workforce Development

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Job Training Albuquerque (JTA), first established as a partnership between the City of Albuquerque's workforce development program and Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), is expanding its course listings this summer. The program is now offering high-demand skills training through The University of New Mexico's Anderson School of Management and WESST, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs in New Mexico.

Launched in January 2020 and maintained during the pandemic, JTA offers free job skills courses through funding provided by the City of Albuquerque's Economic Development Department (EDD), in partnership with CNM. Since its inception, JTA has helped 72 organizations and 117 employees build high-demand workforce skills like Coding, Accounting, Project Management, Commercial Driver's License Training, and more. 

"The success of JTA in its first year shows that this investment is working on both ends by helping workers learn new skills and businesses create new jobs," said Mayor Tim Keller. "These new partnerships with UNM and WESST are part of our economic development strategy to push Albuquerque into the recovery."

A core objective of this plan—Increment of One—is creating jobs one, two, and three at a time by supporting business expansion and workforce development locally. By participating in JTA, employers agree to add one job to their operation within two years, thereby spurring small business growth through job creation, and building a deeper pool of workforce talent for existing and potential companies.

Kyērstin O'Neal is a JTA participant who completed the Activate New Mexico program, a CNM Ingenuity business accelerator that helps early-stage, software-enabled startups with the goal of expanding the New Mexico tech landscape. 

"Thanks to the JTA funding, I was able to take a big step forward," O'Neal said. "ActivateNM was hugely rewarding for my business, and the networking and mentorship opportunities were really powerful."

The UNM Anderson School of Management is a world-class business school with award-winning faculty, and programs that offer a wide array of degree programs for a diverse student population. It will be offering the following Career and Professional Development (CPD) programs through JTA:

• Fundamentals of Human Resources
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Exam Prep
• Mediation Certification

"The UNM Anderson School of Management is pleased to collaborate with the JTA program in offering non-credit business courses for those looking to increase their business skills," said Gina Urias-Sandoval, executive director at the Anderson School of Management. "We are excited about the opportunity to serve the community and to provide professional development programs that are of value to community members and will impact the economic development of our state."

WESST is a New Mexico nonprofit that has been developing and delivering small business training curriculum for over 30 years. Their mission is to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses using the latest tools and technology to enhance their core processes. WESST is adding its Power Tools for Planning and Growing Your Business During COVID curriculum to the JTA lineup. The course helps improve participants' financial business acumen and business operation. The program will be available in Spanish, and is the first Spanish-language offering for JTA. 

"WESST is delighted to partner with CNM and the City of Albuquerque on its Job Training Initiative," said Agnes Noonan, president of WESST. "There is incredible entrepreneurial talent in Albuquerque and we welcome the opportunity to provide our Power Tools Training for interested students."

"We're thrilled to announce these vital new partnerships with UNM and WESST as a part of our efforts to boost training opportunities for Albuquerque's workforce," said Synthia R. Jaramillo, Director of Economic Development. "Empowering individuals through continued education is essential to economic recovery and will lead to improved career outcomes for our city."

JTA is a partnership between the City of Albuquerque and Central New Mexico Community College. Program funding is provided by the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department and the program is administered by CNM Ingenuity, a workforce training arm of the college.

JTA is currently accepting applications for 2021 courses. A full listing of courses, how to apply, and more can be found at https://jobtrainingabq.org/.

SOURCE Central New Mexico Community College (CNM)

Related Links

http://www.cnm.edu