BHS students try out CTE fields through mobile workshop

BERNALILLO — It might have seemed like a contradiction Tuesday that Bernalillo High School student Anthony Otero tried his hand at a truck-driving simulator that had him rolling through grassy, flat terrain and falling snow.

But Otero, a senior,  didn't seem to care the simulator was set to conditions unlike New Mexico. He was exploring career opportunities — and it wouldn't have been possible without the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, which sponsored a mobile workshop housed inside a working truck trailer.

"It was really fun, and it looked very realistic," Otero said. "I really liked how they are giving us the opportunity to see the different jobs and how it feels to be the person to have that job."

Students gathered in the high school cafeteria before braving the cold to enter the trailer, a double-axle unit with eight wheels. The truck and trailer together are 71 feet long.

Once inside, Catherine Banegas, tour manager with SPEVCO Specialty Vehicles — which provided the trailer — addressed a basic question: "What are these people doing here at our high school?"

"We present, and we talk about vocational trade jobs," Banegas said. "Those vocational careers that I'm talking (about) are something we use every day."

There are a wide variety of career trades, Banegas said, but there is also a shortage of them. 

"Why is there a shortage? A lot of these people that are in these jobs might have grandparents, uncles, relatives or friends that are in these jobs. When they retire out, the younger generation isn't quite filling those roles," Banegas said. "It's not only in New Mexico; it's nationwide."

She went on to say that students in other states were hearing the same message from members of her company, but this particular mobile workshop was tailored to "what our state needs."

Following her remarks, students utilized simulators for 13 career fields, including welding, robotics, truck driving, plumbing and electrical.

Otero's friends, Joaquin Cordova and Anya Castro-Ramirez, both BHS seniors, were both excited at the prospect of the workshop. 

Cordova had tried something similar before, saying it opened his eyes to new careers. Castro-Ramirez believes the mobile workshop "welcomes you to try something new."

"Honestly, you never know — maybe someone doesn't want to do office work," she said, noting she has an interest in business and currently holds down an office job but is undecided on her future career path.

"(The mobile workshop) just reminds me I can try something different, and I shouldn't be scared of it," Castro-Ramirez said.

BHS Assistant Principal Benito Levario Jr. said Tuesday and Wednesday were not the first time the mobile workshop came to his high school. It was met with great success the previous visit, he said, leading BHS to apply for the workshop again.

"I know that they're extremely busy, so we were honored that we were chosen," Levario Jr. said.

The mobile workshop was not a requirement for students — and even those who went inside the trailer did not have to engage in activities — but Levario Jr. said he hoped students walked away from the mobile workshop with an interest in at least one career field. 

"Kind of throwing that little small pebble in there, that ripple effect," Levario Jr. said. "If it's a small interest that grows into something bigger, this is the right place for it."

The mobile workshop will also visit Cleveland High School Feb. 18-19, RioTECH on Feb. 20, and Rio Rancho High School March 17 and 19.