The Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) Board recently approved training funds for 190 trainees at seven companies for a total of approximately $1.3 million, Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced.
The companies receiving JTIP assistance come from a wide range of industries, including cybersecurity, automotive assembly, radiation containment products, hand-crafted organic tea, cloud-based software, service support, and high-performance quantum dots. Salaries range from $14 to over $56 per hour.
JTIP supports economic development in New Mexico by reimbursing qualified companies for a significant portion of training costs associated with newly created jobs. The JTIP program strengthens New Mexico’s economy by providing financial incentives to companies that create new economic-base jobs in New Mexico. Jobs eligible for funding through JTIP must be newly created, full-time, and year-round.
“The JTIP is a perfect example of programs that fulfill our agency’s mission. By helping companies pay for new employee training and supporting jobs in a wide variety of industries, JTIP is a strong tool to keep jobs in our state and create a more diversified and resilient economic base,” Secretary Keyes said.
All together, these seven companies are eligible to receive a total of $1,605,367 in JTIP reimbursements:
Cyber Security Works LLC (CSW), located in Albuquerque, is training 13 employees at an average hourly wage of $56.88, for a total award of $411,390. CSW is a professional services firm focused on risk-based vulnerability management and penetration testing. Since 2010, the company has provided security consulting to some of the world’s leading organizations including government agencies and private organizations. This is their first JTIP application.
Heritage Driven LLC, located in Albuquerque, plans to train 4 employees with an average hourly salary of $23, for a total award of $45,160. Heritage Driven is one of a handful of highly specialized companies in the U.S. focused on the import, restoration, and modification of classic Land Rover Defender vehicles. The company has no competitors in the region. This is Heritage Driven’s first JTIP application.
Lancs Industries Inc in Albuquerque is set to train 49 employees with an average hourly wage of $15.82, with JTIP funding totaling $165,804. Lancs' products facilitate the safe handling of radioactive nuclear waste and shielding from nuclear emissions. The company is a supplier to Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. Lancs also produces containment products used in medical and pharmaceutical research and manufacturing and began producing PPE at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Lancs second JTIP application.
Milkweed & Monarch LLC (dba tea.o.graphy) is a women-owned, self-funded tea company in Taos. They requested funding to support the training of three employees at an average wage of $14.12 per hour, for a total of $17,086 in JTIP funding. The company’s hand-crafted and organic products were born out of owner Dana Blair’s response to a need in the market for robust teas that could replace her and other's coffee habits. This is tea.o.graphy’s first JTIP application.
nQ Zebraworks Inc. in Sandia Park plans to train 15 employees for an average hourly salary of $34.45, with a total JTIP request of $281,522.70. The company is a combination of nQueue and ZebraWorks, offering a suite of software solutions specific to the legal industry. Its primary market is law firms of all sizes, but they also serve government and corporate clients. This is nQZebraworks second JTIP application.
Systems Integration Inc. (SSI) has a contact center in Albuquerque to support a five-year service contract with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and now a second five-year contract with TSA to provide systems administration, maintenance, technical support, and more. SSI plans to train 100 employees for an average wage of $17 per hour, with state funding of $545,750. The company provides help desk professionals for federal, state, and local governments, as well as large and small businesses. This is SSI’s third JTIP application.
UbiQD Inc. is an advanced metals company located in Los Alamos. The company will hire six trainees at an average salary of $40.47 per hour and is requesting $138,654.28 in JTIP assistance. UbiQD manufactures high-performance cadmium-free quantum dots and composite materials. Quantum dots are known for their near-perfect ability to convert one color of light into another and are used in the company’s first commercial product, UbiGrow, a layer of light that uses fluorescence to create a more optimal greenhouse spectrum for crops, allowing plants to grow faster and improving crop yield. This is the company’s tenth JTIP request.