It doesn’t appear that careers are rebuilt in Moriarty. It’s the kind of town people associate with gas stations and a long drive to somewhere bigger; it’s a stretch of high desert along old Route 66 (external site). However, an office at 777 Central Avenue is attempting to do just that—quietly and without much fanfare—inside a structure that most drivers wouldn’t notice.
Along with sister centers in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho (external site), and Los Lunas, the Moriarty location is one of the four county offices of the organization known as the Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico. The number, 505-832-6774, connects you to a staff member who manages everything from training referrals to job fairs and resume assistance. It doesn’t sound dramatic. Seldom is it. However, it may be the only viable career resource within driving distance for someone living in such a remote county.
When describing itself, WCCNM (external site) frequently uses the phrase “bridging “latent talent” with “industry demand.” Yes, it’s a little workforce-development jargon, but it’s also not incorrect. In a radio interview on 96.3 KKOB, Arthur Martinez, the organization’s workforce administrator, stated as much, describing a New Mexico labor market where workers struggle to find sustainable paths even as employers—in tech, restaurants, and trades—cannot fill the open positions. That gap doesn’t go away on its own. There must be a person standing in the center of it.
The unglamorous appearance of the actual work is what’s interesting. No big announcements about tech partnerships, no showy startup energy. Just job seekers entering from Central Avenue, meeting with a caseworker, and perhaps completing training program paperwork funded by WIOA. employers requesting assistance in covering a shift. It’s the kind of infrastructure that a small town silently relies on, but no one takes pictures of it for a magazine spread.
It’s difficult to ignore how much of this work is funded by the federal government; the office is part of the nationwide America’s Job Center network and operates under a Department of Labor grant. Naturally, there are conditions attached to this funding, such as equal opportunity requirements, grievance forms for WIOA discrimination claims, and complaint procedures for individuals who believe they have been treated unfairly. It is bureaucratic, but it also offers a level of accountability that isn’t always present in smaller, unofficial job-help initiatives.
One version of this story that is easy to exaggerate is the idea that a local office can save a faltering economy. It’s not quite that. No one in Torrance County (external site) would say that Moriarty’s center is changing the county overnight. More subtly, it appears to be bridging a structural gap by matching employers without the funds for staffing firms or LinkedIn networks with individuals without these resources.
It’s still unclear if that will be sufficient to significantly reduce New Mexico’s skills gap. One office, one grant cycle, or one radio interview rarely closes skills gaps. However, as you pass that structure on Old Route 66, it’s important to keep in mind that some of the most beneficial organizations are those that don’t appear to be very noticeable from the outside.
