IWP Wins 2026 NM IDEA Talent Development & Retention Award
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Welcome to the sixth Industrial Workforce Program Newsletter.
It’s been a while since our last update, and we’ve been busy. Graduates are landing jobs, the high school program has doubled in size, and IWP just brought home a statewide award.
Find all the latest news below!
Awards
IWP Wins the 2026 NM IDEA Talent Development & Retention Award
IWP just picked up another award, and this one is statewide. New Mexico IDEA is the statewide association of economic development professionals. At the Governor’s Economic Development Conference on September 3 in Isleta, it named IWP the winner of its 2026 Talent Development & Retention Award.
Our team couldn’t make it to Isleta, so Bruce Armstrong of the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation (GGEDC) accepted the award on our behalf. The next day, Bruce, GGEDC Executive Director Patty Lundstrom, and former Gallup Mayor Louie Bonaguidi presented it to our team at the GGEDC office.
It meant a lot to receive this one from GGEDC, because GGEDC is where IWP started. Year after year, local employers told GGEDC they couldn’t find enough entry-level skilled workers to grow. So in 2019, with a three-year grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, GGEDC built a hands-on pilot program from the ground up. It kept that program running through COVID, even when classes had to move online. The goal was 30 graduates in three years. The pilot graduated 60. Big credit goes to GGEDC Executive Director Patty Lundstrom and former Deputy Director Michael Sage, who put the program together with the support of the GGEDC Board.
After the pilot, GGEDC handed the program to the Southwest Indian Foundation, and it has kept growing. Today IWP graduates upwards of 80 people a year across construction, automotive, and high school training. All of it is tuition-free. Participants can earn stackable NCCER credentials that employers recognize nationwide, after which we help graduates take the next step into internships, apprenticeships, jobs, or trade school.
“This award belongs to the instructors, staff, partners and participants who have made IWP a lasting regional success. GGEDC is proud to have helped launch the program, and we are equally proud of the way Southwest Indian Foundation has strengthened and expanded it.”
— Patty Lundstrom, GGEDC Executive Director
“We are deeply honored to receive the NM IDEA Workforce Award at the Governor’s 2026 Conference on Economic Development. This recognition reflects the strength of our workforce-training programs and the partnerships that make them possible. These programs are the unique result of close collaboration among the Southwest Indian Foundation, a nonprofit organization with extensive homebuilding and industry experience, Aequitas Education, city, state and federal stakeholders, and experts from our local private industries. The results are already proving the programs’ effectiveness, and their value to our students, employers and the entire region is truly priceless.”
— Tom Macik, IWP Director
The award also matters for what’s ahead. We’re working on expanding capacity for both high school students and adults, and on building training programs for more trades. The new SWIF warehouse, which broke ground last October, will give IWP a permanent training home. It will also more than double the number of homes SWIF can build each year for families on the Navajo Nation.
The region’s growth plans raise the stakes too. Gallup and McKinley County are working to secure state designation for the proposed Gallup-McKinley County TradePort. Companies considering investing here need to know the workforce is ready, and IWP helps make that case.
This adds to our collection. We’ve now been recognized by IEDC, the Construction Users Roundtable, GGEDC, and NM IDEA. A big thank you to GGEDC for sponsoring our nomination.
Graduate Spotlights
IWP High School Student Spotlight: Sebastian L.
After completing the Industrial Workforce High School Pre-Apprenticeship last school year, Sebastian continued with our extended pre-apprenticeship over the summer, and joined the production team At JoaQuin Manufacturing Corp., where he helps build solar station buildings.
The buildings typically run 15 by 30 feet, depending on the customer’s order. Once the welders frame a building and install its exterior walls, his crew adds R-13 insulation and foam board, then installs sheet metal on the walls and ceiling. Electricians and other team members carry the project through its final stages.
It’s real production work on a real team, and Sebastian took what he learned at IWP and made it his own.
Nice work, Sebastian!
Construction
Another win for the Construction program
Before IWP, Joseph worked as a clay pottery artist. He signed up for the Construction Program to learn new skills, earn some money, get out of the house, and get time on heavy equipment.
It paid off. When Joseph applied at Zuni Pueblo, he explained everything he’d learned through IWP, and got the job. He now works as a maintenance technician and driver for the Pueblo’s WIC program, handling landscaping, maintenance, and sanitation. The IWP skill he uses most on the job is carpentry.
His advice for anyone thinking about applying:
“I’d take it. It’s a good learning experience, you get your certs, and it helps you figure out your future plans.”
— Joseph Lucio
Big congratulations, Joseph!
Automotive
IWP Student Spotlight: Aaron Y.
During the summer of 2026, Aaron demonstrated exactly what the Industrial Workforce Program (IWP) is all about: hard work, determination, and the pursuit of a better future.
While attending our eight-week Automotive Training Program, Aaron worked nights at a local restaurant to provide for himself and his family. Despite balancing long days in the classroom and automotive shop with late nights at work, he excelled in his training and remained committed to his goals.
Aaron entered the program with a clear ambition: not simply to learn about the automotive industry, but to build a lasting career within it.
During his final week of training, Aaron applied for a position at Champion Ford and was hired the very next day. Aaron quickly advanced from an entry-level position assisting a lube technician into a service technician role, earning his own service bay and taking on the responsibilities that come with it.
Today, Aaron is happy, healthy, and thriving in his new career. He continues to develop his skills, gain valuable industry experience, and build a promising future for himself and his family.
We are incredibly proud of Aaron and what he has accomplished in such a short time, and we look forward to watching him continue to grow in his career.
Program Spotlight
High School Pre-Apprenticeship: Back in Session, and Twice as Big
Through our partnership with Gallup-McKinley County Schools, high school seniors spend their morning classes getting hands-on construction training. Over two semesters, students work through the NCCER Core curriculum, earn their OSHA 10, operate heavy equipment, and use real tools on real projects.
This summer, some of our students kept going with the extended summer pre-apprenticeship, like Sebastian above. Now the new school year is underway, and we’ve doubled the number of students from last year.
Stay Connected
Follow Along
A newsletter only comes out every few months, but there’s something happening at IWP every week. That includes new cohorts starting, graduates on the job, students in the shop, and the warehouse going up. Follow us for regular updates:
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586163867576
Instagram: instagram.com/industrial_workforce_program/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/110929420
YouTube: Southwest Indian Foundation
Thanks for backing the IWP community.
Awards are nice, but the real win is graduates in good jobs and local businesses finding the workers they need. Whether you’re a graduate, a student, an employer, or a supporter, you’re part of making it work.
Help us keep training free – give $20 today
Best regards,
The IWP Team
Industrial Workforce Program, a program of the Southwest Indian Foundation
