On Wednesday, more than 150 students at Piedra Vista High School explored careers in high-demand fields inside the Be Pro Be Proud mobile workshop, which features several virtual reality and simulation stations.
The Be Pro Be Proud truck launched in November 2023 through the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce Foundation after a 2020 research report on economic competitiveness identified workforce development as the No. 1 issue the business community will face in the next decade, said Rob Leming, president of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
“We identified Be Pro Be Proud as a best practice model for career exploration and workforce development for youths,” Leming said. “The way that we put it together was identifying high wage, high demand careers that would support New Mexico’s economy well into the future. Those career paths, are the technical professions that we highlight on the truck.”
According to Leming, New Mexico launched the sixth Be Pro Be Proud program in the country, with several careers represented inside the truck, including heavy equipment operation, fiber optic cable splicing, commercial driving, welding and utility line work.
“We have impacted more than 20,000 people across New Mexico in every region, so from the Four Corners down south to the Permian Basin,” he said. “We’ve been to over 200 municipalities across the state.”
Leming said demonstrating careers through virtual reality and simulations reflects how students interact with technology today.
“Ten years ago even, you could not adequately demonstrate a career at a booth with just someone talking about it, and so that hands-on experience is really key for them to be able to be in that situation,” he said. “
The tour visits both high schools and middle schools to reach students early and help them become familiar with career options, Leming said.
“They can understand the trajectories from their freshman year through their senior year to set themselves up for success,” he said.
At Piedra Vista High School, tour manager Catherine Banegas said students from all grade levels participated in the experience and asked questions about careers they were interested in pursuing.
Banegas said she has also heard from community members across the state about the need for careers such as welding and plumbing.
In the Four Corners region, traditional energy jobs are evolving into advanced energy jobs, with many of the same skill sets carrying over from legacy industries and opening new opportunities in energy transmission and generation, Leming said.
Students interested in learning more about a career complete a survey that sends them relevant information by email, Banegas said.
“We let them know what we’re presenting to them is certification based, so it’s not a bachelor’s degree required for college,” Banegas said. “Students who might choose a different pathway, other than the four-year traditional college, this is definitely something to just plant that seed of interest and to see if it’s something they could explore.”
The truck is supported through partnerships with public sector agencies such as the Department of Workforce Solutions and private sector sponsors that invest in workforce development initiatives, Leming said.
At the school level, student volunteers help operate the virtual reality and simulation stations, Banegas said, adding that it might be back next year
“We have had the feedback from the staff that they love it. They can’t wait for us to come back,” she said.
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