Two organizationsare teaming up to help build the state's aerospace workforce, one job at a time. And if their effort goes as planned, it may help the state take advantage of "brain drain."
Brain drain refers to when an educated or skilled people leave the area, typically for opportunities elsewhere. While the trend is often debated, there is no question some New Mexico businesspeople believe there is a shortage of specific aerospace talent locally, as well as a shortage of certain types of technical positions. But rather than try to keep all of the state's budding professional talent in the state from the start, Mitzi Montoya and Casey DeRaad are adopting a different approach.
Their two organizations, the University of New Mexico's Anderson School of Management and NewSpace New Mexico (NSNM), are partnering to analyze the aerospace industry in New Mexico and lure workers that left back to town.
"We want people to put their education to use [in other states] and then come back and put it to use in New Mexico," said DeRaad, who is the founder and CEO of NewSpace, an industry group focused on fostering the commercial space economy in New Mexico.
There is often a mismatch between what employers are seeking and what type of workforce is available, as most aerospace jobs require high-level experience, according to Montoya, pushing new grads into other markets where there are entry level positions. But that talent is not a lost cause, as they could be brought back to the state after gaining experience elsewhere, bolstering the local job pool down the line.
"We have alumni networks — we know how to reach that group," said Montoya, who is the dean of the Anderson School of Management. Aerospace is one of several target industries for the state's Economic Development Department, along with cybersecurity, bioscience and other sectors.
As part of the joint effort, NSNM and the Anderson School will work to create a fellowship program designed to analyze the state's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to aerospace-focused business and economic development. They will also develop a marketing strategy intended to convince experienced workers and companies to relocate here, potentially drawing graduates from the local universities back to town.
Montoya conceded that there is "no single magic bullet" to growing New Mexico's aerospace industry. She also floated the idea of tying in incentives for things like housing in regard to relocation efforts. While workforce availability is not the only quality companies take into consideration when considering where to do things like expand, it is "always one of the criteria," according to DeRaad, who previously worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Locally, some companies have taken it upon themselves to develop their own workforces. In the case of Theia Group, a satellite startup that plans to build a satellite assembly and testing facility on land owned by the city, officials have worked directly with higher-ed institutions.
"We are actively meeting with higher education in the state," said Theia Group VP James Reid Gorman during an April city council meeting. "The dean of computer engineering and science at the University of New Mexico was here for an extensive introduction to what our plans are," he said. Theia Group also had a meeting with a Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) official "to explore quite a bit of curriculum development opportunity," Gorman said. Theia Group plans to hire at least 1,000 people for the campus, dubbed the Orion Center, representing a significant planned hiring effort.
A spokesperson for CNM was unable to be reached for comment.
At least one other STEM-focused workforce initiatives focused on brain drain has also popped up in the past.
The STEM Boomerang initiative aims to connect science, technology, engineering and mathematical professionals with "companies and colleges that want to hire them." According to reporting in the Albuquerque Journal, the program works to connect STEM workers that left the state but want to return, as well as local talent.
That initiative began in 2017 and is ongoing today.
