Farmington Schools Plans Regional Technical Center, Aligns Training With Jobs
Farmington Municipal Schools launched a planning year to transform its existing Career and Technical Education Center into a regional technical center, beginning a series of four district led conversations with industry and workforce partners. The effort aims to align training with current job openings, add industry recognized credentials such as OSHA 10, and use recently approved bond funds to expand programs after preschool space is relocated, a move that could affect local workforce retention and equity.
A report published Nov. 26, 2025 in the Tri City Record described the launch by Farmington Municipal Schools of a planning year to convert its Career and Technical Education Center into a regional technical center. The district held the first of four district led conversations in early November, bringing together representatives from local energy and manufacturing employers, healthcare providers, education officials and tribal and local government partners.
Attendees included Pesco, NTEC, Anchorum, Northern Navajo Medical Center, Horace Motors, Four Corners Clean Energy Alliance, the New Mexico Public Education Department, the Navajo Nation and local government representatives. School leaders outlined plans to align CTE pathways with current job openings and business needs, expand hands on programs shaped by employers and add industry recognized credentials such as OSHA 10 to better prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce.
District officials framed the initiative as part of a regional strategy to retain graduates in the local economy. The district intends to tap recently approved bond funds to support facility and program expansion once preschool academy space is relocated from the current site. That sequencing will determine the timing of construction and program growth, a point of attention for families, employers and community planners.
The plan has clear implications for public health and community equity. Involving Northern Navajo Medical Center and other health stakeholders opens pathways for training local health aides, technicians and allied health workers who are critical to rural health care capacity. Industry recognized safety credentials will also aim to reduce workplace injury risks in energy and manufacturing jobs, supporting both individual wellbeing and employer readiness.
Policy and funding coordination with the New Mexico Public Education Department and tribal leaders will be essential to ensure programs serve Native students and other historically underserved groups. For San Juan County the proposed regional technical center could improve local hiring pipelines, lower barriers to credentialing, and provide an alternative to migration for young people seeking skilled work. The district will continue three more stakeholder conversations during the planning year as it refines program offerings, partnership agreements and timelines for investment.
