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Isaak Munoz and Ricardo Morales first pursued other fields before turning to trades 鈥擬unoz studied media and Morales graduated in marketing.

The two have since begun taking classes in HVAC at Do帽a Ana Community College.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 panning out for me,鈥� Morales said of his marketing degree. 鈥淚鈥檝e always found interest in refrigeration systems and stuff like that 鈥 just liked the precision.鈥�

After graduation, they both hope to get jobs in their field.

鈥淚 always say, if I鈥檓 hands-on with something, I鈥檓 enjoying it,鈥� Munoz said. 鈥淲hen I first took the class, my wife was like, 鈥榊ou look so happy.鈥欌��

On Friday, the two entered the sheet metal competition at the New Mexico SkillsUSA conference at Central New Mexico Community College.

The conference will host more than 900 students on Friday and Saturday who will compete in 70 different career and technical events 鈥� welding, carpentry, aviation mechanics, screen printing and robotics, to name a few.

SkillsUSA is a nationwide workforce development program for students intended to prepare them for jobs in skilled trades. Some students are looking for a career change, like Munoz and Morales. Others are looking for another path that might not require a traditional degree.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an alternative to four-year education that leads to a good-paying job,鈥� said Jason Hayes, state officer coordinator for New Mexico SkillsUSA.

In New Mexico and across the country, older tradespeople are retiring quicker than they can be replaced, Hayes said, creating a need for skilled workers that can鈥檛 be filled fast enough.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a huge need for people to fill those positions,鈥� Hayes said.

Younger students may be attracted to trades because of the fast-paced work, said Janel Sanchez, SkillsUSA鈥檚 state director for New Mexico.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking for things that are a little bit faster, things that are a little bit more hands-on,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淭his generation is much more hands-on.鈥�

It also doesn鈥檛 hurt that many of these jobs are what some call AI-proof.

鈥淎 lot of these jobs are jobs that can be AI-augmented, but not AI-replaced,鈥� Hayes said.

Skilled trade jobs are also attracting more female students than ever before. At CNM, the number of women majoring in trade programs has grown 14% in five years, according to the college鈥檚 spokesperson, Brad Moore.

At CNM, the number of women majoring in welding has shot up 176% during that same time, Moore said. Women now make up 21% of the college鈥檚 trade students.

Hayes, who teaches diesel technology at San Juan College in Farmington, said when he first started teaching, it was rare to have a female student in his class.

鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 not unusual,鈥� Hayes said. 鈥淲e are seeing more attraction of female students into the non-traditional tracks, because they鈥檙e looking at it as a real path to personal success.鈥�

For Karyme Contreras, a junior at Hobbs High School studying business management, the program is an opportunity to prepare herself for the future.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very, very diverse community. You get to meet and talk to a lot of different people,鈥� she said.

SkillsUSA was founded in 1965 and its New Mexico chapter started in 1966, Sanchez said. The gold medalists from the competition at CNM will go on to represent New Mexico at nationals in Atlanta in June.

Events are judged by professionals like Seve Quinn, who participated in the conference himself when he was a student and now oversees the welding competition. Now, Quinn works as a lead fabricator for Kairos Power.

鈥淚 had a really great welding instructor, but going from school to the industry, it鈥檚 a night-and-day sort of thing,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淪o having this as a stepping stone 鈥� It's extremely helpful.鈥�

Employers see the annual competition as a means to recruit and network, Quinn said. He鈥檚 hired two or three former competitors himself, he said.

鈥淭he impact that SkillsUSA had on me 鈥� it drives me to help the next generation of others,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the experience, but the people you鈥檙e getting in contact with.鈥�

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.