REQUESTING A STUDY TO FUND NONCREDIT INSTRUCTION RELATED TO WORK FORCE DEVELOPMENT.

WHEREAS, community colleges play an important role in the state in regard to work force training and retraining; and

WHEREAS, certain work force training programs required by business and industry need to be flexible, short term and customized, and are therefore often not amenable to credit instruction; and

WHEREAS, only credit instruction is funded by the state; and

WHEREAS, community colleges do conduct noncredit instruction for business and industry on a cost-recovery basis; and

WHEREAS, other states fund noncredit instruction related to work force training as an economic development tool; and

WHEREAS, most businesses in New Mexico are small, less than twenty-five people and continually need to upgrade the skills of their employees but cannot afford to do so; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that to be competitive in today's society, eighty percent of workers will need some form of post-secondary training; and

WHEREAS, education and training have been demonstrated to increase the potential earning power of workers and, thus, per capita income; and

WHEREAS, greater access to training through our community colleges will lead to a better-trained work force and an increase in per capita income;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the commission on higher education, in cooperation with post-secondary educational institutions, study the feasibility of funding certain noncredit courses that support needed work force training; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study be presented to the legislative finance committee and other appropriate legislative interim committees prior to November 1, 2001; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the commission on higher education for appropriate distribution to post-secondary educational institutions.