NM: State Assists in Training Over 2,000 Workers from 80 Companies in FY22

New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced that 80 companies received Fiscal Year 2022 grants from the Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) to hire or retrain over 2,000 workers at an average wage of $23.67.

The June JTIP awards mark the final round for the 2022 Fiscal Year with $3.2 million awarded to seven companies in support of training for 171 employees.

In all, JTIP helped fund training for a total of 2,352 workers with an overall average wage of $23.67 during FY22 from 80 companies. Of the total trainees, 567 were in rural communities where the average wage was $18.35.

Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has targeted higher-paying industries for state incentives to deliver better jobs and economic security for New Mexico families. Since then, JTIP has assisted in the training of 9,277 trainees, 2,852 of those employees lived in rural communities.

The fiscal year average wage for JTIP of $23.67 is up 27% from the $18.68 average from 2015-2018.

“Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s support for job training and workforce development means New Mexico has a more skilled workforce, with employees that are ready to succeed in a 21st century economy,” EDD Cabinet Secretary Keyes said. “Our continued investment in JTIP is vital as we look to grow innovative businesses and diversify New Mexico’s economy.”

JTIP serves both rural and urban areas, companies large and small, reimbursing a percentage of trainee wages for up to six months. Companies in rural areas, jobs with entry wages that align with the High Wage Job Tax Credit, companies that hire trainees who have graduated within the past 12 months from a New Mexico institution of higher education or who are U.S. Veterans receive a higher percentage of reimbursement (5% over the standard rate).

To close out Fiscal Year 2022, the Job Training Incentive Program Board approved June 2022 grants to the following companies:

The Boeing Company, Albuquerque, 22 trainees at an average wage of $60.71, for a total award of $768,835.32. Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space, and security systems. The company supports airlines as well as U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing’s Laser & Electro-Optical Systems (LEOS) business unit located in Albuquerque has been fully operating there since 2009.

Electronic Caregiver, Las Cruces, 75 trainees at an average wage of $26.12 for a total award of $888,215.84. Electronic Caregiver, Inc. (ECG) is a privately held digital health technology and service company. ECG is at the forefront of the digitization of healthcare. The company’s mission is to design and deliver innovative, impactful telehealth products and services such as personal emergency response services, remote patient monitoring, chronic care management, and medication monitoring that bridge the chasm between the doctor’s office and patient’s home to improve outcomes, expand access, and optimize resource allocation.

Infinity Labs, LLC, Albuquerque, 24 trainees at an average wage of $57.69 for a total award of $793,968.32. While still primarily serving the defense industry with software development, modeling & simulation, and general research & development, Infinity is also developing commercial products to market utilizing similar technologies developed for the defense industry but targeted towards commercial applications. Infinity Labs has secured 13 prime contracts with the DoD including a $950M Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract vehicle with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. This is Infinity Labs first JTIP application.

National Water Services, Inc., Santa Fe, 6 trainees at an average wage of $22.48 for a total award of $65,067.92. National Water Services, Inc., founded in Santa Fe, manufactures, installs and services FreshPure Waters™ purified water vending systems in 37 states nationally and has a presence in Canada. National Water Services operates in the retail grocery trade, marketing primarily to large, natural and organic food retailers. Primary customers are Whole Foods Market, Earth Fare Markets and Natural Food Co-ops and independent grocers.

RingIR, Inc., Albuquerque, 1 trainee at a wage of $30.43 for a total award of $18,807.64. RingIR is a technology startup company commercializing network-capable real-time optical gas and particulate recognition technology that focuses on molecular fingerprinting of atmospheric gasses. The technology allows operators to run specific gas sensing measurements that analyze the composition of an atmosphere continuously to ensure that workplace environments are safer.

TS Nano Sealants LLC, Albuquerque, 11 trainees at an average wage of $39.23 for a total award of $241,449.68. TS-Nano Sealants (TS Nano) is a New Mexico startup company focused on designing, manufacturing, and applying very durable nano-modified sealants that bond extremely well to a variety of sub-surfaces to seal against Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. This is TS Nano’s first JTIP application.

Mesilla Park Services dba Yellow Bird Solar, Mesilla Park, 32 trainees at an average wage of $25.59 for a total award of $478,300. In 1976 the Bacchus family patented and started making Aireze evaporative coolers in Sunland Park. By 2006 they built over 100,000 evaporative coolers. The company designed and patented the most efficient air conditioners in the USA. In 2011 they started an HVAC franchise know as One Hour AC in Las Cruces and have been serving Southern New Mexico with HVAC and solar since. Now the family business focuses on growing its solar footprint through Yellow Bird Solar. This is Yellow Bird Solar’s first JTIP application.