Northern Partners with LANL to DevelopProfessional Development for Lab Employees

Northern New Mexico College has partnered with Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop and provide training to enhance the skills of current lab employees.

Beginning in January 2020, continuing education courses in mathematics for technicians and basic blueprint reading, will be delivered face-to-face at LANL to employees in the Detonator Production Division.  The development and delivery of these courses is made possible by a $458,000 contract with LANL to deliver 360 hours of instruction to at least 50 technicians over the next two years.

“Northern New Mexico College is committed to meeting the needs of our regional workforce and providing educational opportunities to help community members further their careers,” Northern President Rick Bailey said. “This partnership is a strong example of higher education and regional employers working together to support economic and personal development.”

Northern faculty and staff worked to develop a custom curriculum for the project, which includes courses in the areas of communication, computer applications, math, science, and soft skills. The courses will be provided to experienced professionals and new technicians joining the division.

“We approached Northern in early 2019 with the need to develop a program to meet our employee development needs,” LANL DET Division Chief of Staff Annie Hanawalt said. “The lab depends upon our surrounding community, so knowing that we can rely upon our local partners to help fulfill our mission is key.”

Northern has also partnered with online learning company Genius to provide a web-based assessment tool to allow LANL employees to determine areas of development and for supervisors to recommend employees for trainings. The technology also houses course materials and evaluates student learning.

Northern partnered with LANL earlier this year to further develop its associate degree in Radiation Protection and to provide financial support for a cohort of students in the program on track to jobs at the labs after graduation. LANL also continues to provide workshops to Northern students and recruits students into internship positions throughout the organization.