A Career for Computer Techs in the Four Corners

This project is designing and implementing courses and curricula to produce well-qualified computer technicians and Web designers who will serve rural northwestern New Mexico--specifically, McKinley County, the Navajo Nation, and Zuni Pueblo. Largely by adapting and implementing resources from other institutions, the project is developing (1) a new certificate program and A.A.S. degree program in computer repair and networking technology and (2) a new certificate program and A.A.S. degree program in Internet technology and Web design. The student audience is community college students at UNM-Gallup and high school students who participate in a dual-enrollment vocational program at UNM-Gallup. The project is also offering several workshops on basic computer maintenance and Web operations for UNM-Gallup faculty and prospective and current high school teachers.

Gallup (population 20,000) is located on I-40 in McKinley County, one of the poorest counties in the United States, between the Navajo Nation (population 250,000) and Zuni Pueblo (population 10,000). UNM-Gallup is both a two-year community college and a branch campus located 140 miles from the main UNM campus at Albuquerque, with a full-time enrollment of approximately 1,500 students, most of whom are Native American. Major area employers are local and federal schools, healthcare facilities, and governments. Many Native Americans are self-employed craftspeople. Although local unemployment is high (8.4% in December 1998), most residents are reluctant to leave the area because of historical and cultural ties to the land and their families.

According to a Vocational Needs Assessment that surveyed students, parents, and employers, UNM-Gallup has a pressing need for a program to train technicians to maintain the increasing numbers of computers and networks in the college's service area. Skilled applicants are needed for this growing job market. This project is a response to the problem. It provides local students with the technical education and assistance they need to find local jobs, and it also translates into more Native American students seeking four-year electrical and computer engineering degrees.