2010
That's how it all started
IN 2010 AND 2012, TWO STUDIES WERE COMMISSION AND FINANCED BY THE PASO DEL NORTE GROUP (NOW BORDERPLEX ALLIANCE) TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE WORKFORCE OF THE REGION. BOTH OF THESE DOCUMENTS BASED THEIR SCOPE IN ALL THREE COUNTIES ENCOMPASSING THE REGION: DONA ANNA, EL PASO AND JUAREZ. THE DOCUMENT, THE PASO DEL NORTE REGION, MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES, REVEALS THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A STRONG COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEI) AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO ADDRESS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GAPS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES. THE SECOND DOCUMENT, LABOR MARKET ANALYSIS BY THE MANPOWER GROUP, FURTHER PROVED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EDUCATION PIPELINE TO ASSURE ALIGNMENT THAT WOULD PRODUCE LABOR FORCE INTEGRATION OF RECENT GRADUATES.
2012
DURING 2012, A GROUP OF BUSINESSMEN AND ACADEMICIANS CONVENED TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THESE TWO DOCUMENTS. THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPANTS MIRRORED THE ECONOMIC SECTORS IN JUAREZ WITH MANUFACTURING ACCOUNTING FOR 60% AND THE SERVICE AND COMMERCE SECTORS REPRESENTING 20% EACH. FIVE LOCAL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, ACCOUNTING FOR 82% OF THE TOTAL STUDENT BODY IN JUAREZ AT THE TIME, REPRESENTED THE ACADEMIC SIDE. BECAUSE OF THE PREPONDERANCE OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, ALL FIVE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS HAD TO OFFER ENGINEERING PROGRAMS TO ASSURE THEY COULD ATTEND THE OBJECTIVE OF THE COUNCIL. ALTHOUGH, EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE GAPS BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DONE, THIS WAS THE FIRST EFFORT WHERE MANUFACTURING, SERVICE AND COMMERCIAL ENTITIES LEAD THE EFFORT. THE IMPORTANCE TO PRODUCE A GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE, HIGHLY TALENTED AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE GRADUATE WAS THE KEY TO THE INITIATIVE.
2013
THE MONTHS OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2013 WERE KEY IN DEVELOPING THE MISSION, VISION, OBJECTIVES, GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND NAME OF THE NEW ENTITY. THE FIRST MAJOR PROJECT AS THE COUNCIL FOR REGIONAL EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT WAS TO IMPLEMENT A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL AT ALL PARTICIPATING ENTITIES; TEN MANUFACTURING FIRMS AND FIVE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (INITIAL GROUP). ONE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL WAS DEVELOPED FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND COVERED THREE OBJECTIVES: TO SEEK ANY DEFICIENCIES IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS THROUGH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, TO UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE AMOUNT OF TALENT IN THE ENTITIES. BY THE SAME TOKEN, A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL WAS ALSO SENT TO ALL FIVE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS CENTERING ON CAPACITY BUILDING, ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH BEING PERFORMED. BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE INSTRUMENT, THE COUNCIL IDENTIFIED THE GAPS AND ESTABLISHED A WORK PLAN THROUGH FOUR DIFFERENT COMMITTEES; CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COMMITTEE, INTERNSHIP COMMITTEE AND INDUSTRIAL VISIT COMMITTEE. THESE COMMITTEES ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE WORK BEING DONE.