CNM's Workforce and Community Success Division has a plan for improving workforce, economy

Businesses, industries, economic development professionals, government subsidies and educators.

There are lots of moving pieces when it comes to growing a local workforce and growing the New Mexico and Albuquerque economies.

What does the local community college do to keep all those different groups on the same page? Enter the Central New Mexico Community College's Workforce and Community Success Division.

The division was created in 2021 to connect those different partners to help CNM meet the local workforce needs. Since July 1, the division has been under the leadership of Joy Forehand, who is the vice president.

Forehand was the guest on the week's edition of the Business Outlook podcast, which focused on leadership.

Forehand was previously the executive director for the Student Workforce Success team at CNM. She has also worked as the operations manager for Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico, and she was the deputy cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions from 2013-2017.

Here's a sample of the conversation, which has been edited for clarity.

Business Outlook podcasts are released on Monday afternoons and are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud.

Why was it important for CNM to create the Workforce and Community Success Division?

"The division was created under a reorganization with the vision of our governing board and (CNM) President Tracy Hartzler. There were a lot of different pieces that moved within the college, but one of them was the creation of Workforce and Community Success. I think it was a great opportunity, as part of their vision, to really have a hub of really key activities that have existed at CNM for decades, some of those key activities being employer engagement and industry partnerships.

Our preschool through higher education partnerships are within the division as well, and then a big focus is on our learners and our students and all the workforce services that we can offer them. The division's unique in that we serve as the central point of contact for those key activities."

How does CNM work to bridge the gap between workforce training and overall economic development?

"I think we serve a really big piece for our local economy: Helping connect learners to their career goals and their personal goals.

They may come to the college seeking personal growth opportunity or community enrichment, or they may be looking for a career or workforce path, whether it's through one of our programs that can really put them to work very quickly, or they're on a longer path and looking to transfer into a four-year university. So we offer that flexibility for the learners and then for the broader economy, too.

I think our partnerships with local economic development entities and the state Economic Development Department, and as well as all of our employer and industry relationships, is really about listening to what's in demand and what's changing as far as the industry needs and skills."

So you're in a leadership position and it seems you're tasked with keeping those interests aligned and on the same page?

"And making sure that what we're teaching through our academic programming and then our workforce training programming is relevant so when our learners leave and they graduate and they complete workforce training, they can apply those skills and knowledge and experience right there on the job."

What are the key industries that you think are really going to emerge in Albuquerque in the coming years?

"There's a few that we can definitely highlight, advanced manufacturing being one. We've had support from General Mills, Intel and Amazon and others to build up programs like mechatronics and industrial automation. We have our industrial tool tech program, and then we have a new pre-engineering track as well, and so we really respond to all of those needs that we're seeing currently from advanced manufacturing.

There is also some projected growth that we're seeing from some of the announcements that have come from companies like Maxeon (Solar Technologies) and Ebon (Solar). So definitely advanced manufacturing, and making sure that we're meeting current needs as well as future expected needs.

Allied health is definitely another area we're seeing some real growth in, everything from nursing and medical assisting to some of our really specialized programs, like sonography.

In 60 seconds or less, what do you think is the biggest selling point for New Mexico?

"I think the best selling point for New Mexico is that we have an incredibly talented and agile workforce, and I think that there are a lot of opportunities within programs and funding that we can do to enhance that, but that we have a lot of flexibility in how we can respond to changing industries and emerging industries, and then really supporting all of our local businesses as well."