The Career and Technical Education Center of Hobbs (CTECH) celebrated its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on Thursday, May 5. Hundreds attended the ceremony. A clear path for Hobbs senior high students who desire to pursue “technical-track” careers has been charted.
The almost $50 million new facility has a capacity for 600 – 700 students and is located at 801 North Marland Boulevard.
According to former Hobbs Municipal Schools Superintendent TJ Parks, “about half of Hobbs High School graduates pursue technical-track careers.” Some of these students enter the workforce directly; others attain two-year training certificates before entering the job market. The new school is providing the perfect home for these students, helping to prepare them ”for success in their careers,” states the CTECH webpage at the JFMaddox.org.
Mike Rowe Special Guest Speaker
Celebrated television host and narrator Mike Rowe, best known for his contributions to the Discovery Channel’s series Dirty Jobs, spoke at Thursday’s ceremony, a video clip of which is available on the school district’s Facebook page.
In his remarks Rowe summed up vividly what CTECH is all about. He said, “When I came here four years ago, this thing had just taken shape. I remember thinking at the time, they’re never going to pull this off; they’re never going to do it. You’re talking about a fifty million dollar plus investment.”
Rowe continued, “It’s going to take more than a foundation. It’s going to take a government. It’s going to take local leaders. It’s going to take the teachers. It’s going to take students who are willing to pursue a skill that’s actually in demand. It’s going to take good PR [Public Relations]. It’s going to take a friendly press. It’s going to take people who are willing to slap their hand down and say, ‘Hey wait a sec. Where’s the opportunity – really? Where’s the opportunity live?’ Because putting shop class back in high school is not so different than putting the poop back in the goose. It’s hard. It’s expensive.”
“You guys actually did it, and you did it on steroids. You didn’t just put in a carpentry shop or a metal shop back in the old cafeteria, the old high school. You built a whole building. And you put it close enough to the high school so that the kids have no choice but to look at it and see what is inside – which is opportunity.”
Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb also spoke about the opportunity that the new school will provide to Hobbs high schoolers for years to come, as did President and CEO of the JF Maddox Foundation Ray Caraway.
CTECH Career Pathways
CTECH will focus on career pathways in energy, manufacturing and transportation. Students wanting culinary arts and hospitality careers will have a home, as will those who want to specialize in information technology, construction and architecture.
CTECH students will gain the knowledge and training, plus an academic foundation, to prepare them for high-demand, high-paying careers. They will additionally be provided with “real-world experiences to assure their success upon graduation,” states the CTECH webpage at HobbsSchools.net.
On the same webpage former superintendent Parks states,”I want to see our vocational students recognized in the same manner as our advanced placement students.”
Funding for CTECH
The JFMaddox Foundation gave a $10 million grant to the CTECH project in 2019. The same year Hobbs residents approved a $ 30 million bond, $15 million of which was earmarked to fund the building of the facility. At Thursday’s ceremony Hobbs Municipal School Board President Gary Eidson and CTECH Director Zeke Kaney thanked Hobbs taxpayers for their support of the project. Kaney said, “That vote – that bond – put us over the edge….”
Other $10 million CTECH partners are The City of Hobbs and the Permian Strategic Partnership, a coalition of leading Permian Basin energy companies now numbering 19.
In 2019-20 the City of Hobbs budgeted its $10 million share of the funding. Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb said about the project, “We applaud the leadership and vision exhibited by the Hobbs School Administration and Hobbs School Board. Creating marketable life skills for our youth through the education that the CTE will provide will not only serve them for the rest of their lives but will provide our community with a sustainable well-educated workforce.”
The private Daniels Fund, established by long-time Hobbs businessman and philanthropist Bill Daniels, donated $1.6 million.
The Lea County Economic Development Corporation, as well as local and state elected officials, the governor herself and area community members have, additionally, played a key role in bringing the CTECH concept from a vision to a reality.
Other private-public partners have also come forward. Most recently, AirGas, an Air Liquid company, announced that it has chosen CTECH “to receive welding education program support as part of the Airgas High School Welding Education Initiative.”
Urenco USA, located in Eunice, has given CTECH a check for $25,000 and has made the commitment to provide future funding.
The beginning is here. A new future is out there for Hobbs High School students. The CTECH Facebook page says it all, “It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to build a school.”
