Trades, especially the construction trades, have been saying for years that they need more workers. Community colleges and unions are doing their best to make that happen, but funding is up and down.
A bill that easily passed the House last week would stabilize funding for apprentice and training programs in the state.
It lines up with the widespread public realization that college is not for everybody and legislative intentions to boost vocational education. Last month the combined House and Senate education committees prioritized career-technical education (CTE).
House Bill 5 would use a $30 million appropriation to create the Workforce Development and Apprenticeship Trust Fund. The State Investment Officer would invest the fund and use returns, $2.5 million a year the first two years and $1.5 million a year thereafter, to distribute to the Public Works Apprentice and Training Fund and the Workforce Solutions Department. The goal is to get New Mexicans into high-paying jobs in the trades.
“Increasing the technical skills and practical experience of our workforce is good for workers and for business,” said lead sponsor Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque. “Investing in our registered apprenticeship programs is a vital part of developing our workforce pipeline.”
Apprenticeship programs of one to five years involve paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction, according to legislative analysis. The Workforce Solutions Department funnels federal money to more than 50 programs in the state. More money would allow it to increase enrollment in apprenticeships, expand programs to new subject matter, and reimburse employers at a higher level.
Associated Builders and Contractors New Mexico runs the state’s largest apprentice program, said its president and CEO Carla Kugler, and the program has grown. “Now it’s not just construction, it’s a lot of other industries,” she told the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. “Funding is critical to retain instructors and expand around the state.”
Joan Baker, of UA 412 Plumbers and Pipefitters, said applications for its apprentice program have doubled in the last two years.
That’s a broad trend. Workforce Solutions reported 1,883 apprentices in fiscal 2022 and 2,273 in fiscal 2023, a 21% increase.
Minority Floor Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, told the Albuquerque Journal last month that lawmakers wanted to approve more money for CTE programs. It would address the shortage of trade workers and get 18-year-olds ready for a job or an apprenticeship program, he said. And it’s a way to keep young people from leaving the state.
Republicans aren’t entirely on board. Three of four Republicans on the first committee voted against HB 5. Five Rs were opposed in the lopsided 63-to-5 vote in the House. Rep. Randall Pettigrew, R-Lovington, raised repeated objections during the House Appropriations and Finance Committee hearing and wanted to know the number of union and non-union programs. It’s one-third non-union and two-thirds union, responded Sarita Nair, secretary of Workforce Solutions. Ultimately Pettigrew voted for it in committee but opposed it in the House vote.
Another voc-ed bill is SB 67, by Sens. Craig Brandt and Joshua Hernandez, both Rio Rancho Republicans. It would create the Career Development Success pilot program. The Public Education Department could offer financial incentives to school districts for students completing industry-credential programs or workplace training programs. But SG 67 hasn’t made it out of its first committee.
At this writing, HB 5 appears to be the only CTE bill moving.
Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, said, after it passed his House Appropriations: “This is so exciting. It’s the biggest investment in apprenticeships perhaps ever in the history of the state.”
HB 5 now goes to the Senate, where it will face competition from other worthy budget items plus the scrutiny of the Senate Finance Committee.