Bernalillo County Commissioners Tuesday decided to launch one arrow they think will hit two targets.
The pre-apprenticeship and job internship program commissioners approved is intended to help local young adults get on the pathway to careers in outdoor education and natural resources management while also helping boost the available workforce to meet the county’s hiring needs in those areas.
Commission Chair Eric Olivas said community members concerned about the lack of access to career-building opportunities helped get county leaders thinking about the idea.
“And lo and behold, we realized that, that problem that was presented from the community’s perspective also really intertwined with a problem that we have at the county, which is lack of workforce.”
The pilot program was authorized with an initial investment of $250,000. It will offer training, hands-on experience, and mentorship, which supporters are needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market
Olivas noted that the funding doesn’t include internships within county departments, which, if included, would make the total investment closer to the $400,000 the City of Albuquerque allocated to a similar program at last week’s budget hearing.
County staff say many of the areas targeted for internships are in areas with high levels of vacancies in county government. Staff say the plan is to encourage youth from across the community — particularly those from historically underserved areas — to apply for opportunities in natural resources and environmental stewardship-related positions.
Commissioner Barbara Baca said the program will support the sustainability of both the local ecology and the area’s workforce.
“Kids thrive in the outdoors, and this is the opportunity to have young adults find their calling and to build the next stewards of our land,” she said. “This is really, really important to me, to be able to give the opportunity for people to get into the outdoors in so many different ways.”
Commissioner Adriann Barboa said the program represents an opportunity for youth to have transformational experiences like those she had as a Service Corps member.
“I got access, not only to new skills, but also to a community of people,” Barboa said. “Almost like a lot of folks that get to go to colleges that have fraternities or sororities; you almost build a community and network of people that are going to be here.”
Several speakers during the public comment period advocated for the program, saying it has the potential to get young people thinking about environmental stewardship, expand career opportunities for them and increase economic equity.
Berenice Estrada of the Semilla Project said many Bernalillo County residents have grown up feeling the most accessible careers were in the service industry or other sectors where one could work to survive.
“But our youth deserve more than survival,” she said. “They deserve direction, purpose and the chance to thrive in careers that uplift both our people and our planet.”
The county is already involved in a pre-apprenticeship program at West Mesa High School, partnering with Albuquerque Public Schools and other entities to help students train early for careers in the construction trades.