Skip Menu

New Mexico Alliance of Optics & Photonics Education

New Mexico Alliance for Optics & Photonics

Workforce: Optics and photonics considered to be a major area of growth in New Mexico and the global economy

Significant to the success of the optics community in the state of New Mexico is the close cooperation amongst the resident commercial optics enterprises in the state, the New Mexico Optics Industry Association, and the New Mexico Alliance for Optics and Photonics Education. As such, New Mexico is helping fill the photonics technician pipeline.

Boeing recognizes that New Mexico is quickly becoming the center of excellence for developing the technologies needed to field the next generation of laser and electro-optical systems.
–Mike Skolnick, Boeing's Laser and Electro-optical Systems

Photonics Technologies Experience Workforce Shortage

In a 2001 issue of Photonics Spectra a study was published that concluded there would be a shortfall of more than 24,000 photonics technicians by the year 2005.

	Photonics Technicians
	Available	Total Needed	Shortfall
2000	19,900
2005	27,900	52,000	24,100

Workforce & Economic Development Facts

Optical science and engineering will be a significant economic driver for the 21st Century (National Research Council COSE study).
Optics and photonics are one of six targeted clusters for Albuquerque's and NM's Next Generation Economic Initiative (www.nextgenclusters.net).
Workforce development through education is a major engine that drives the photonics industry and its stimulation of the economy.
Precedent shows more than 30-fold increase in private optics industry revenue over 10 years with modest state financial investments.
NM is helping meet the need for more than 6000 new photonics technicians per year through 2005.
The NM photonics education and career ladder is narrowing the workforce gap by offering high school students more options for technical training tied to careers in photonics.

The Workforce Gap

Only a fraction of students are getting the training needed to pursue available jobs.

Where 9th Graders Are Headed	VS.	Where the Jobs Are
28% will enter a 4-year college		20% require a 4-year college degree
32% will enter an associate degree program or advanced training		65% require an associates degree or advanced training
10% will lack the skills needed for employment		15% require minimum skills for employment
30% will drop out of the system
Source: Carol D'Amico, Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st Century

A student at TVI learns to use equipment that measures the transmission of light through fiber optics.

A graduate student at UNM adjusts optics for a laser on an isolation table, a standard practice in the photonics workforce.