By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Change is constant, there is no doubt about that as schools seek funding to provide up to date programs and learning opportunities.
Career Technical Education (CTE) training is one of those areas that the State of New Mexico is working on and as part of the requirement of federal legislation the New Mexico Department of Education commissioned an initiative to create a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment. This report will help area schools work to get funding for this type of education.
Colfax County along with Union, Quay, Mora, Harding, San Miguel and Guadalupe Counties, in Northeastern New Mexico were combined into Region C for the purpose of creating the needs assessment. The needs assessment identifies current jobs and populations as well as where education can focus to help students prepare for the jobs that are likely to grow in the region. It is designed to be a tool to help schools and the regional consortium to define needs and work to obtain funding to support technology training.
Region C is comprised of the following school districts and charter schools:
Cimarron Public
Clayton Municipal
Des Moines Municipal
House Municipal
Las Vegas City
Logan Municipal
Maxwell Municipal
Mora Independent
Mosquero Municipal
Pecos Independent
Raton
Roy Municipal
San Jon Municipal
Santa Rosa
Springer
Tucumcari
Vaughn
Wagon Mound
West Las Vegas
What makes the report interesting is some of the statistics it provides. One that isn’t a surprise is the decline in population for the region which showed an overall decline of 8.1% with Colfax County showing an 11.8% decline since 2010. The report noted that while the population is decreasing it is also aging. According to the report “all age bands have declined in recent years, with the exception of those 65 years and older, which has increased at a rate of more than 23% since 2010.” It also shows that more than 58% of that population has a high school diploma and little or no college and no degree. The percentage that holds a bachelor’s degree or higher is only 18% which is significantly lower than the national average of 30.9%.
The report went on to look at employment in the region, information provided by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and found that government is the largest employer with just under 7,000 jobs followed by the healthcare industry with just over 3,000 workers. Accommodations and food services followed up on the list with the highest employment.
“One of the unique characteristics of this region is the concentration of the Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities industry and the services that support it. As the region’s population continues to age, it is likely that demand for these services will increase.
According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, there are nine organizations in the region who employ more than 250 workers.”
Las Vegas City Public Schools
Luna Community College
Walmart Supercenter
Alta Vista Regional Hospital
New Mexico Motor Transportation Division
Angel Fire Resort
The report went on to show where the region can look to educate and promote job growth.
The Jobs
The occupation families with the largest projected growth include:
- Personal Care and Service Occupations (403 new jobs)
- Installation, Maintenance and Repair (72)
- Education, Training and Library (50)
- Management (35)
- Farming, Fishing and Forestry (29)
- Transportation and Material Moving (5)
- Computer and Mathematical (5)
“This report sought to identify “quality careers,” which are projected to grow significantly in coming years in this region and which typically pay higher-than-average wages. Several of these Quality Careers were from the Management or Business and Financial Operations clusters, including Education Administrators, Financial Managers, Medical Services Managers, Human Resources Specialists and Compliance Officers.”
In the report it also noted that quality transportation including transportation of goods will be a high priority with truck driving jobs to continue to be in high demand.
Education will continue to be an important part of the equation and area schools will have to look to provide the programs and learning needed to provide employees that will provide a quality workforce for high priority industries and employers looking to relocate to the region.
To see the complete report, visit http://nmcteclna.com
