Новый Мексико запускает программу подготовки техников для удержания молодежи и развития экономики

LOCAL COLUMN Sophia entered the room full of curiosity and an energy that made you want to hand her the keys to the city. We talked about her University of New Mexico research on entrepreneurship in New Mexico — risks, opportunities, the whole messy, hopeful picture. As I (Julie) listened to her questions, I marveled at a level of sophistication that felt far beyond her 21 years. We discussed the tremendous opportunities in New Mexico — a deep bench of science expertise, a unique creative economy, quality-of-life other states envy, advanced energy leadership that could power the next wave of jobs, and the nation’s two largest national labs. We’ve got capital too, fueled in part by the state’s sovereign wealth fund, and real momentum from recent job announcements — BlackVe, NTx Bio, Pacific Fusion, Quantinuum, Mantis Space. Not to mention support from policymakers and state leaders, which has played a crucial role in clearing the path for an innovation economy. But we talked through the harder truths too: New Mexico’s job creation is gaining momentum, but still lags behind national growth. Albuquerque is a top three large U.S. city for loss of residents under 18, and we face a staggering number of “disconnected youth” who are neither in school nor working, roughly 32,000 — yet 82% say they’d like to work if given the right support. Sophia feels all of it: “I love New Mexico. I grew up here and I’m glad I go to college here, but I’m not sure our state has the right jobs for me, as much as I want to stay.” That moment, looking into the eyes of someone with so much talent and drive who loves this place yet isn’t sure she can build a life here, is exactly why now is the moment for big ideas. Enter the CAMINO Collaborative. A new innovation campus taking shape at Eubank and Central, built on the strength of CAMINO, a Sandia National Laboratories’ advanced manufacturing center of excellence and $100 million infrastructure investment. This new, publicly-accessible campus will accelerate the priority science and technology sectors where New Mexico can win: advanced energy, quantum technologies, aerospace and national security. Imagine an ecosystem where entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and students — from high school to Ph.D. — can plug directly into the world‐class engineering expertise next door at Sandia. There will be no other campus quite like this in the country. This is a proven model, where Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee showed that when you build infrastructure, talent and partnerships, companies follow with billions of dollars of investment. The CAMINO Collaborative borrows that lesson but adapts it: We’ll build with New Mexico’s culture, communities and natural resources in mind. Advanced manufacturing is inherently more sustainable than legacy processes, using fewer raw materials, less energy and less water while producing higher‐value products. A few practical pieces matter. First, the sheer power of advanced manufacturing jobs — the kind that pay well, come with benefits, and most don’t require a four‐year degree. They create stability for families, upward paths for young people and help current workers move into higher‐skill roles. And while people worry, understandably, about artificial intelligence wiping out whole categories of work, technician jobs aren’t going anywhere. They’re immediate, hands-on and in high demand, with thousands of openings statewide and millions nationally. Central New Mexico Community College will lead this work, coordinating closely with community colleges across the state to build the technician workforce New Mexico needs. Second, let’s treat collaboration, cooperation and abundance as a real economic strategy as a state. The CAMINO Collaborative is built on that alignment: entrepreneurs, companies, schools, colleges and national labs working side‐by‐side instead of in separate lanes. It’s cooperation at a scale we really need, and exactly what’s required if we want to shift from being catchers of whatever opportunities come our way to pitchers who actively shape the economy we want. It’s a public‐private partnership with real muscle and an invitation for all of us to champion the companies and innovators who should grow here. Leaders from different parties can agree on one simple thing: Keeping our kids here isn’t partisan — it’s personal. When we invest in training that leads to real jobs, when we connect students to internships at businesses across the state, when we make capital accessible to founders who want to build here, we’re doing the work that keeps Sophia, and thousands like her, from packing up. We want her to build here, hire here and raise a family here if she chooses. Can we keep the next generation in the place they love? Let’s make sure the answer is yes. Dale Dekker is founding principal of Dekker Design. Julie Heinrich is CEO of Heinrich Consulting Group. workforce development opinion camino collaborative business advanced manufacturing sandia national laboratories new mexico economy