Mesalands gets career education grant

QCS Staff

Mesalands Community College will receive more than $553,600 in federal funding designed to provide innovative training programs, in partnership with local businesses, to help adults advance into high-wage careers, according to a news according to a joint news release from U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich (both D-N.M.)

The funding is part of a nearly $15 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant allocation. The program is designed to allow 11 community colleges in New Mexico to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs. That will help job seekers get the skills they need for in-demand jobs in New Mexico’s health care industry, the news release said.

“Our community colleges provide quality training and education to more than 80,000 New Mexicans each year, and this funding will help them better prepare veterans and those whose jobs were affected by foreign trade develop the skills for high wage jobs in health care,” Udall said.

He said the funding will help ensure that New Mexican workers have the training they need to succeed in these in-demand career opportunities.

With more New Mexicans requiring access to quality health care and health promotion services, he said, New Mexico needs health professionals to address this growing demand.

“Programs like the New Mexico ‘Skill Up’ Network will go a long way in helping increase the number and skills of these health experts,” he said.

Heinrich said, “This funding will allow colleges across New Mexico to provide workers with quality job training to help fill New Mexico’s expanding health care and technology workforce needs. Investments in education and job training will have a significant and lasting impact on our economy and ensure all New Mexicans have the skills they need to compete for quality jobs."

The TAACCT competitive grant program, which is co-administered by the Department of Labor and Department of Education, has provided $23 million to New Mexico institutions in the past four years, the news release said.

The funding will benefit the New Mexico Skill Up Network, which will work with 23 employer partners and 17 industry representatives expand and improve the delivery of health care career pathways, the news release said. The consortium is led by Santa Fe Community College, which will receive $5,682,738.

Other recipients are:

• Central New Mexico Community College: $1,983,779

• San Juan Community College: $1,366,921

• Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell: $1,145,445

• Eastern New Mexico University, Ruidoso: $576,767

• New Mexico State University, Alamagordo: $807,012

• University of New Mexico, Taos: $688,983

• University of New Mexico, Valencia: $788,029

• University of New Mexico, Los Alamos: $579,961

• University of New Mexico, Gallup: $866,967