Permian Strategic Partnership Invests $10 Million in Southeast New Mexico College Trades x Technologies Center
Expanding workforce development opportunities in the Permian Basin
Carlsbad, NM (August 6, 2025) —The Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) today announced a $10 million investment into Southeast New Mexico College’s cutting-edge Trades x Technologies (T2) facility. This center will help prepare New Mexico students and emerging professionals for high-demand careers in energy and advanced industry sectors.
The new facility will house programs in Electrical Technology, Petroleum Technology, and Radiologic Control Technology, while expanding existing programs in Industrial Maintenance Technology and Natural Gas Compression Technology. The building will feature indoor shop spaces, adjacent outdoor training areas, simulator rooms, classroom and lab spaces for instrumentation and programmable logic controller (PLC) training, a computer lab, testing center, and faculty offices.
“The Trades x Technologies facility at SENMC will open new doors for not only students across Southeast New Mexico, but professionals in the workforce looking to reskill and upskill,” said Tracee Bentley, President and CEO of the Permian Strategic Partnership. “We are proud to partner with SENMC in building a talent pipeline that supports the Permian’s continued growth and innovation. By investing in cutting-edge, hands-on training programs, we’re not only preparing residents for high-wage, high-demand careers, we’re also strengthening the region’s workforce and supporting long-term economic growth across the Permian.”
The project received an additional $5 million through the New Mexico General Obligation Bond, approved by voters in November 2024, with programming supported by a $11.7 million U.S. Department of Energy grant.
“This facility will have a transformative impact, giving students hands-on, real-world training that aligns with today’s workforce needs,” said Dr. Kevin Beardmore, President of Southeast New Mexico College. “We’re proud to create an accessible, high-quality space for technical education and career development right here in our community. Thanks to the Permian Strategic Partnership’s investment, we’re building a pipeline of skilled professionals that will benefit Southeast New Mexico for generations to come.”
The Permian is expected to require an additional 185,500 workers by 2040 to meet growing workforce demands, according to the PSP’s latest economic impact report. With this investment in Permian-based upskilling, the PSP continues its commitment to strengthening education and workforce development across the Permian Basin, helping local communities thrive today and preparing for the jobs of tomorrow.
For more information on the ongoing project and timeline, please contact Kevin Beardmore at kbeardmore@senmc.edu or 575-234-9210.