City of Albuquerque ‘Job Training Albuquerque’ Experienced 567% Participation Increase and Helped Create 184 Jobs in 2021

Feb. 7, 2022

The City of Albuquerque’s workforce development program, Job Training Albuquerque (JTA), has helped local small businesses skill-up their employees and create new jobs in the community. JTA offers free job skills courses through funding provided by the City of Albuquerque’s Economic Development Department (EDD), and is a partnership with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM).

Since its launch in January of 2020, JTA has helped 102 organizations and 285 employees build high-demand workforce skills, including Coding, Accounting, Project Management, Commercial Driver’s License Training, and more. The courses help create a more skilled workforce in Albuquerque, resulting in better career outcomes for the program’s participants.

“This program, two years out from its creation, shows how we can work together to elevate Albuquerque small businesses and support Burqueños in upward career trajectories,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Workforce development is one piece of our comprehensive economic development strategy, investing in the success of our own working families and local businesses.”

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. To date, JTA has helped employers add 184 jobs in Albuquerque, and added nearly $8.5 million in annual wage-earning power.

UnityBPO, a healthcare business process and technology company in Albuquerque, recently had employees participate in the Professional Skills Academy and Leadership Academy.

“Unity’s experience with JTA has been outstanding. Frequently, our supervisors and managers come to their positions without formal education in business and managing employees, so JTA has really filled that gap,” said Sandaren Hazlett, UnityBPO’s chief development officer. “Our supervisors and managers are now applying the theoretical and practical skills to their jobs, which has helped us be a better company, and helped our leaders establish strong career paths within the community.”

In addition to a 567% growth in employee participation, JTA also experienced a 200% increase in employer participation in 2021—43% of which are women-owned businesses.

“Our department offers a wide variety of resources for Albuquerque’s local small businesses, and we’re thrilled to see JTA’s positive effect in our community,” said EDD director Charles Ashley, III. “Through dedicated services such as JTA and the City’s Small Business Office, we’re boosting Albuquerque’s workforce and investing in an economy that works for everyone.”

Over the past two years, JTA has added additional training partners in order to offer a wide variety of courses in high-demand fields, including early childhood education. In 2021, JTA sourced courses through The University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, WESST, the New Mexico Child Care and Education Association, and Pivotal New Mexico.

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 a variety of trainings. A full listing of courses, how to apply, and more can be found at jobtrainingabq.org.