Robert Rhodes, New Mexico Junior College (Hobbs) Vice President for Training and Outreach Presentation

1. The NEW Energy Workforce
Robert Rhodes
New Mexico Junior College

2. The Problem

3. Lack of Skilled Labor
 There’s no way around it: respondents report, on
median, that 5% of their jobs remain unfilled simply
because they can’t find people with the right skills.
Translated to raw numbers, this means that as many
as 600,000 jobs are going unfilled
 Source: Copyright 2011, Deloitte Development LLC and The
Manufacturing Institute

4. Changing Nature of Industry
 "The biggest challenge, even though there is huge
unemployment, we don't find skilled labor," said
Darlene Miller, who is the chief executive of Permac
Industries, a Minnesota-based machining company.
"We don't really have any unskilled labor jobs.“
 Source: Obama Job Council

5. It is not going to get better
 45% of the workforce in the electric and natural gas
utility industry will reach retirement age within the
next six to seven years
 Similar numbers across the energy industry
 Source: EnergyBiz Magazine

6. The Real Color of Jobs is Blue
 As in Blue Collar Technicians

7. The Answer
 Build a pipeline of technicians with not only the
needed skill sets but the culture of the Energy
Industry

8. Challenge
 It Must be Industry Driven
 It Must be Competency Based, and
 It Must Have Flexible Delivery

9. Good Signs
 New Mexico Community Colleges offer traditional
and alternative energy programs
 New Mexico Colleges and Workforce partners have
established Centers of Excellence for alternative
energy programs
 New Mexico Community Colleges are building a
statewide consortium that will coordinate delivery
and certification of workforce programs.

10. New Mexico Junior College
 Dual Credit Alternative Energy Program
 Alternative Energy Laboratory and Industry Scale
Wind and Solar program
 Training field includes 45 KWH of Wind and 45
KWH of Solar
 Energy Technician Training Program
 Nuclear Technician Training Program
 Petroleum Technician Training Program
 Adding Alternative Energy Technician Program

11. New Mexico Junior College
 Includes Short term, Certificate and Associate
Degree tracks
 The only fully accredited online energy technology
program in the nation

12. New Mexico Junior College
 Training is now available:
 ANY TIME
 ANY PLACE
 ANY WHERE

13. Next Steps
 Work with industry to create a comprehensive list of
skill competencies for the energy jobs
 Develop a uniform curriculum program to ensure a
supply of the right people at the right time
 Don’t forget the culture

14. Build the Pipeline
 It all starts in middle school
 Create industry links to students and teachers
 Backing in to STEM
 Make sure that leadership gets the message

15. Thank You