White House initiative helps Santa Fe schools' Work Based Learning Program
May 17—The White House announced Santa Fe is one of 15 cities that will join the new Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy within the Biden administration's Investing in America Workforce Initiatives.
The academy is a partnership between the U.S. Labor Department and National League of Cities to carry out "city-led solutions that upskill and re-skill all workers," especially in the areas of infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
The city of Santa Fe will focus its first efforts to build on the Santa Fe Public Schools' Work Based Learning Program launched in 2021 that last summer sent 22 students to four hotels for jobs working alongside adults.
"How can we help high school students transition into the next steps?" Johanna Nelson, economic development director for Santa Fe, said in an interview Wednesday.
The city is focusing about half of $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding from 2021 on the Work Based Learning Program, with another portion for next step beyond that program and a "third bucket" to potentially bring a transition coordinator to the school district to get students into Santa Fe Community College offerings that meet community needs, Nelson said.
The Rescue Plan funding already subsidizes 15 workforce certificate programs at the college, including preparation for jobs in construction, heating ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, accounting, welding, culinary arts and paralegal services, she added.
As a Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy city, Santa Fe will have direct access to workforce experts at the National League of Cities and U.S. Labor Department.
"This program will help us convene with program administrators, to work with insiders to identify additional funding," Nelson said.
She said the academy support will help the city work better together with the community college, the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District and the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
"By connecting with these workforce development experts [at the league of cities], we are gaining expertise and support to develop our efforts here," Nelson said. "We will be able to develop programming that is responsive to the needs here."
The academy will provide Santa Fe with in-depth technical assistance to accelerate efforts to design, develop and launch new workforce initiatives. The academy will leverage partnerships with local governments, education and training providers, labor-management and community-based organizations, the White House news release stated.
"City participation will culminate in the launch of new or expanded training programs that place workers in quality jobs," the release states.
