UNM-LA NEWS RELEASE
The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) is pleased to announce the ‘Scholarship for Education and Economic Development (SEED), in partnership with the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) and the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce. An initial announcement was made at the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce meeting on January 13.
This program will provide scholarships to students who are working in Los Alamos County intending to help local employers recruit and retain employees, while also developing the knowledge and skills of the individual employees. The scholarship will award free tuition for up 6 credits per semester for an employee of a Los Alamos business who works half-time or more. This will provide an “employee benefit” for small businesses that might not be able to offer this benefit to employees otherwise. The pilot period for this program will be the Spring semester of 2022.
UNM-LA is committed to assisting in providing pathways for students to take courses and pursue degree programs that relate to their aspirations and career goals. This SEED program was specifically created to help the community develop and maintain a robust workforce.
“The purpose of this program is captured in the name, “Scholarship for Education and Economic Development.” We recognize the challenges that businesses are currently facing to maintain an adequate workforce. We also understand the challenges presented to individuals who need to work, but are also interested in pursuing higher education courses and programs to aid in career advancement,” commented UNM-LA Chancellor Cindy Rooney. “Our hope is that this scholarship will help address some of these challenges and allow workforce development to become a reality for many aspiring employees who work in our county.”
The scholarship is a product of a partnership created between the RDC and UNM-LA through the RDC’s Workforce and Education Training Program. “The Workforce and Education Training Program is an investment of the RDC in partnership with Northern New Mexico institutions of higher education to identify training needs and develop a well-educated workforce in the region,” said RDC Executive Director Val Alonzo. “The partnership aims to help Northern New Mexico’s businesses find skilled workers and ensure jobs are filled by in-state and in-county workers who want to stay in their communities after receiving an education at two- and four-year colleges in the area.”
“We see this as a great opportunity for working people not only to gain additional skills that move them ahead in the workforce, but also to get a head start on education that can lead to degrees or certificates,” said UNM-LA’s Dean of Instruction, Dr. Paul Allen.
The University encourages interested individuals, and their employers, to complete the simple SEED application and return it to the UNM-LA Financial Aid Office (jenduran@unm.edu). To participate in this pilot program, the best consideration date is January 21, 2022 for the Spring semester classes. Please visit https://losalamos.unm.edu/students/financial-aid/scholarships.html for more information and to download the application.
Applicants are encouraged to submit the short application as soon as possible. Most UNM-LA classes begin on Tuesday, Jan. 18 and registration ends on January 28. There are also several late start classes that start in February and March.
“The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to partner with UNM-LA and the RDC to be able to offer this amazing scholarship,” said Chamber of Commerce Director Ryn Herrmann, “We hope it makes college education more achievable for our small business community.”
UNM-LA is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. More information about UNM-LA is available at losalamos.unm.edu.