Job Training Albuquerque On-Track to Quadruple Participation in 2021
April 28, 2021
Today, Mayor Tim Keller announced that Job Training Albuquerque (JTA), the City of Albuquerque’s workforce development program, launched in January of 2020, helped 27 companies and 37 employees build high-demand workforce skills at no cost in its first year of operation. During the first quarter of 2021, JTA has already provided job skills training to 30 companies and 47 employees.
Participating companies ranged in size from one to more than 200 employees and represent a broad set of industries, including food service, creative industries, health care, law, and marketing. JTA ensures small businesses have equal opportunity to succeed and grow by providing owners and employees tools needed for long-term security and prosperity, which are essential for Albuquerque’s pandemic recovery.
“Supporting small businesses and creating new jobs is critical to Albuquerque’s post-pandemic recovery, and long-term prosperity and growth,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Now more than ever, we recognize that highly-accessible workforce training and education are needed to help local businesses scale and add employees.”
JTA is a partnership with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and is committed to boosting Albuquerque’s local business sector. JTA helps workers ‘skill up’ and businesses scale up. The program provides free courses in high-demand skill areas and offers industry-specific credentials.
The program is an initiative of the Keller administration’s economic development strategy. A core objective of this plan—Increment of One—addresses 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.
Boomtime, a local internet marketing and advertising agency, was recently approved for JTA funding and has three employees registered UX/UI, the Adobe Illustrator Series, and the Social Media Marketing. “At Boomtime, we believe that educating and empowering people and businesses are the keys that unlock potential. That is why we are so excited to participate in the Job Training Albuquerque program as we grow our business in Albuquerque,” said Alfonso Barreiro, vice president of operations at Boomtime. “Having access to these cutting-edge, high-demand, and high-quality trainings has helped us skill-up our employees, and helps us not only stay competitive in our industry, but attract and retain our amazing staff.”
In addition to UX/UI, Adobe, and the Social Media Marketing, the JTA lineup features continuous and rotating courses that meet training needs across a wide variety of industries. Some of the most popular courses include Digital Marketing, Accounting for Non-Financial Managers, Project Management, Leadership Academy, Commercial Driver’s License Training, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and Sales and Branding Programs.
“JTA is the centerpiece of the City’s small business support strategy,” said Synthia R. Jaramillo, Director of Economic Development. “By providing educational growth and training opportunities outside the traditional school system, we’re enabling individuals to become empowered and achieve economic mobility, which will have long-term positive effects on our community as we continue economic recovery efforts.”
Courses offered by JTA are directly related to areas identified as crucial to business growth and improving bottom lines. Spring and summer 2021 courses include Financial Coach Training, Certified Ethical Hacker, Deep Dive Coding, Professional Medical Coding and Billing, IT Professionals Series, Supervisor Academy, Data Science for Business Leaders, and more.
“Along with the City of Albuquerque, CNM is excited that the Job Training Albuquerque program continues to empower an ever-growing number of Albuquerque employers and employees,” said CNM President Tracy Hartzler. “More local businesses are accessing JTA to skill-up their existing employees in areas that are pivotal to business growth and prosperity. And more employees are gaining high-demand skills that will boost their career potential. As we add more job training options, CNM looks forward to helping more Albuquerque businesses and employees thrive, which will also help our entire Albuquerque community thrive.”
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.
In response to COVID-19, the majority of JTA programming is available online. For key professional skills, however, hybrid and in-person classes are offered. JTA is currently accepting applications for 2021 courses. Business owners can apply at https://jobtrainingabq.org/application/.
More information about these programs and JTA can be found at https://jobtrainingabq.org/.