Placitas business awarded $37,000 in job training funds

The New Mexico Economic Development Department approved its monthly allocations of job training funds at the July Job Training Incentive Program board meeting.

EDD Acting Secretary Mark Roper announced that 11 companies applied for nearly $1.2 million this month in preparation for hiring and training up to 93 new employees.

JTIP is a tool used by the state to encourage relocation, growth and hiring within New Mexico. Companies are reimbursed a percentage of eligible trainee expenses once training has been completed. The reimbursement percentages are designed to incentivize hiring in rural and frontier locations, hiring New Mexico higher education graduates and veterans, and other criteria.

The board meets monthly to approve applications during a public meeting in which companies can provide additional information to back up their request.

“The JTIP program is an essential tool for supporting communities and businesses as they move our economy forward,” Roper said. “Employers from across the state are creating high-quality jobs for New Mexicans.”

JTIP funding was provided this month to 11 companies across the state, including The Grow NM Inc. in Placitas.

The Grow NM was established recently as the new name for the gardening operations of Leaf & Flower NM. The local and woman-owned company has four indoor gardening operations, a packaging department, and seven retail store locations and now has a Vertically Integrated Cannabis Establishment (VICE) license.

The Grow NM Inc was awarded $37,650 for five trainees with an average wage of $17.