Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers: Advancing Sector Strategies in New Mexico
New Mexico is currently undergoing an energy transition away from legacy fossil fuel industries, such as oil, gas, and coal, toward a green economy, which requires a skilled workforce for emerging jobs in these industries. Executive Order 2024-152 and New Mexico’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plan mandate the state to train 2,000 New Mexicans for infrastructure and climate-ready professions by 2026. Meeting the aspirational mandates of these regulatory requirements presents state leaders with an opportunity to ensure that these climate-ready jobs are of high quality, with accessible and inclusive pathways for training, employment, and advancement.
To meet the goals of the Executive Order and fulfill their WIOA state plan priorities, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) launched sector strategies, which are systemic approaches to workforce development that meet the needs of both workers and employers across the state. As the statewide leader convening and advancing sector strategies, DWS leveraged its participation in the Families & Workers Fund (FWF) Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers (PCIC) initiative to engage with energy sector employers and other industry leaders in the state’s four workforce regions. With technical assistance from Third Sector and in partnership with local workforce development boards (LWDBs), DWS also established a sector strategy workgroup. The purpose of this workgroup is to guide sector strategies implementation across New Mexico to unlock the full potential of existing sector strategies and accelerate the development of new ones, starting with the energy sector and scaling to other high-demand sectors, such as construction, water management, and others. The agency is also strategically leveraging its cross-functional team to train American Job Center (AJC) field and employment services staff on sector strategies to increase knowledge and buy-in on the front lines, with the goal of helping jobseekers and employers gain access to resources and opportunities.
Third Sector’s technical assistance supported DWS in developing governance and deepening collaboration on the planning and implementation of their sector strategies.
- Facilitating Collaboration and Strategic Planning: Third Sector facilitated interactive collaboration between DWS and LWDBs for regional-level partnership and strategic planning, including developing a theory of change, mapping relevant stakeholders, and aligning activities, milestones, and key performance indicators (KPIs) with long-term goals. We provided technical assistance to strengthen employer engagement, such as cultivating employer champions to increase buy-in and participation.
- Continuous Improvement and Governance: Third Sector advised DWS on the development and implementation of a sector strategy workgroup and overarching governance framework. The goal was to establish a governance structure – which defines how a group is organized, how decisions are made, and who has authority and responsibility to lead and take action – that is adaptive, responsive, and remains sustainable as sector strategies are institutionalized across New Mexico’s unique regions. Included in New Mexico’s governance framework is the essential role of the workgroup to advance access to high-quality career pathways that meet the needs of workers and support the adoption of the state’s job quality framework amongst employers, higher education institutions, and other partners. Third Sector supported DWS in taking a continuous improvement mindset to their sector strategies work, including piloting, testing, and refining training and resources with partner feedback.
New Mexico’s approach offers the following essential lessons for other state agencies committed to aligning industry, workforce development, education, and economic development partners:
- State-to-Regional Collaboration Fuels Progress: Achieving ambitious state-level workforce development goals requires strong local buy-in and implementation. Collaboration with LWDBs is crucial for successful regional implementation due to their relationships and specialized knowledge of local contexts. They provide invaluable leadership in conducting outreach, hosting, facilitating, and elevating post-convening insights to refine DWS’s approach to sector strategies state-wide. Due to their positionality at the state level, DWS provides resources, makes connections, and guides strategic direction to maximize the impact of LWDBs and ensure they are well-positioned to enact change in their communities. The DWS’s close and trusting collaboration with their LWDB partners presents a strong foundation for the sustainability of their sector strategies by fostering robust statewide partnerships and enabling the co-creation of resources.
- Cross-Agency and Cross-Departmental Collaboration are Key to Advancing Goals: A single entity or state agency cannot achieve ambitious workforce goals alone. Strategically working within and across agencies ensures data, service delivery, and resources are driving towards shared goals and outcomes. The cross-departmental makeup of the DWS team participating in the PCIC initiative comprises training managers, apprenticeship specialists, WIOA program managers, economic analysts, and a dedicated energy & infrastructure program coordinator. DWS also partners with a dozen state agencies, including the New Mexico Department of Transportation and Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, to successfully implement Executive Order 2024-152, which aims to collectively train 2,000 workers for climate-ready jobs by the end of 2026.
- An Intentionally Designed Governance Structure Maximizes Impact: States should establish governance structures to make progress on complex initiatives requiring structural, procedural, and cultural changes. A well-structured governance model will help build collective power, advocate for system improvements, prioritize and advance job quality as a core component of workforce strategy, and strengthen data transparency and data-informed decisionmaking. States should consider adopting the governance structure that best meets their needs, such as a steering committee to guide strategy and make decisions, an advisory council to provide subject matter expertise or insight, or a working group to study a problem and make recommendations. New Mexico’s sector strategy governance framework outlines the workgroup’s goals, responsibilities, and membership, serving as a charter to guide the workgroup toward achieving its objectives and purpose. The workgroup meets regularly, and key accomplishments to date include successfully collaborating with local LWDB partners to co-create a sector strategies training series that will be deployed to AJC field and employment services staff.
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions’ approach demonstrates how structured governance, strategic collaboration, and clear goals can move a state from planning to action. Moving forward, the DWS team will continue to scale its sector strategy model and partner with other agencies to advance training and employment opportunities within the energy sector and beyond. They will also remain committed to creating high-quality jobs that offer economic advancement opportunities for those furthest from opportunity across New Mexico. Learn more about our work with Michigan in our next post.
To learn more, contact Jess Praphath, Managing Director, Workforce Pathways, at jpraphath@thirdsectorcap.org
