ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A facility designed to train the next generation of trades workers in real-world conditions is now officially open at Central New Mexico Community College’s Main Campus. On Wednesday, CNM gave the public its first look inside the brand-new Ted Chavez Trades and Technologies Center — a $57 million project built to expand access to skilled trades education and address growing workforce needs across the state.
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The center isn’t just new — it’s what CNM calls a “living lab.” Designed for hands-on, practical learning, the building features a number of outdoor training areas, allowing students to experience conditions they’re likely to face on job sites.
“A lot of times, they have to climb on a roof, it’s 102 degrees out there. They’re working on a [HVAC] unit. How do you get students ready for real-life experience?” said Marvin Martinez, CNM’s physical plant executive director.
One of the most prominent features of the center will be a tiny house project, which will bring students from multiple trades together — including carpentry, electrical, HVAC, and welding — to build the structure from the ground up. It will be built outside on display for all CNM students to see as they pass by. “It’s open in the walkway so that students can see and learn and get excited about the trades,” Martinez said.
Even the building’s architecture plays a teaching role. Glass walls, exposed ceilings, and color-coded piping and wiring reveal the inner workings of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. These features allow students to see exactly how systems come together in a functioning facility. “Each utility has a different color — that way students can see, ‘This is my field, this is what I do, this is how it goes into a building,’” Martinez explained.
Inside, the center boasts the largest welding lab in the Southwest — a major expansion that CNM said will help shorten long-standing waitlists for the high-demand program. “Being the largest welding lab in the Southwest region gives us the opportunity to start removing that waitlist and getting students trained and out to work,” Martinez said.
The electrical lab provides a building frame, where students will learn how to wire outlets and light fixtures. “There might be some plumbing pipes put in just so that they learn how to work around them,” said Martinez. “This is where they start getting the experience on how to actually do the work that they’re learning theoretically in the books.”
With New Mexico expecting more than 5,600 construction-related job openings in the next seven years, CNM President Tracy Hartzler said the new facility arrives at a critical time. “This kind of building allows employer and industry and student interactions to help them develop their careers, and enter, and really fill a critical workforce need,” Hartzler said.
The New Mexico GRO Fund, a state appropriation that provides scholarships and internship support for vocational students, partners with the facility—helping cover the cost of internships and apprenticeships for CNM students even while they are still enrolled.
CNM said the Ted Chavez Trades and Technologies Center can serve up to 1,000 students, with classes set to begin September 22. The $57 million project was funded through a combination of state and local government support and CNM’s own funds.
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