ALBUQUERQUE — High school students from New Mexico learned about New Mexico registered apprenticeships and other fast-track postsecondary credentialing opportunities by taking part in the biannual workforce development bus tour during National Apprenticeship Week.
The student bus tour of New Mexico registered apprenticeships was launched on the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week. The tour was organized by GEAR UP New Mexico in conjunction with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. According to NMDWS, there are more than 58 registered apprenticeship programs across the state.
"We could not have accomplished such a unique tour for the students of GEAR UP New Mexico without the incredible partnership and hours of cross-agency collaborations with the NMDWS Apprenticeship Office,” said GEAR UP New Mexico Regional Coordinator Katherin Hinton. “I look forward to this becoming an annual effort between our two agencies to further increase high school students' understanding of the wide variety of high-quality and low-cost postsecondary training programs that lead to sustainable living wages and economic mobility."
Throughout the bus tour, students participated in immersive job shadowing and volunteering at Belen Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Mexico. They also received in-depth presentations from various registered apprenticeship leaders, such as NB3 Los Alamos, and the New Mexico Information Technology Apprenticeship Program at Central New Mexico Community College.
Students engaged in hands-on experiences with training programs like Assistance Dogs of the West and the CNM Ingenuity Electric Line Worker Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Further exploring the possibilities in post-secondary education across the state, students also toured the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos and CNM-Rio Rancho campuses.
"Working with Katherin and the Gear Up New Mexico team to coordinate National Apprenticeship Week tours and activities has been an amazing experience,” said Robyn Trammell, NMDWS Apprenticeship Training Representative. “Our sites and vendors also expressed their appreciation of the Gear Up New Mexico student engagement. Gear Up New Mexico is truly making a positive impact on the youth and communities of New Mexico."
GEAR UP New Mexico, a division of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, is a federally funded program that aims to increase college and career readiness for seventh to 12th-grade students. GEAR UP New Mexico partners with seven school districts in the state that serve a high proportion of rural and first-generation students. The U.S. Department of Education renewed funding for the program in 2020 at $31.4 million for the next seven years to support around 7,000 students and their families each year.
GEAR UP New Mexico partners with eight high schools in seven school districts: Albuquerque Talent Development Academy, Bernalillo High School, Capital High School, Española Valley High School, Los Puentes Charter School, Mountainair High School, Socorro High School, and Taos High School.
Photos from the GEAR UP New Mexico Workforce Development Tour are available on the GEAR UP New Mexico Facebook and Instagram pages. Learn more about the program at gearupnewmexico.org. Learn more about apprenticeship opportunities in New Mexico, visit www.dws.state.nm.us/apprenticeship.