Toward A Binational, Bilingual Technical Human Resource Global Workforce: A Project Uplift-Unesco Partnership

Hispanic Times Magazine, Oct, 1999

-Central America

-Costa Rica

In collaboration with the national publication, The Hispanic Times, Project Uplift has annually reported for more than a decade on the progress of its technical human resource systemic development model that is internationally recognized. We of Project Uplift consider it a distinct honor to provide the October cover photo, along with a feature article for The Hispanic Times Magazine. The end of the 20th Century is upon us, and we stand at the threshold of the new Millennium. Project Uplift has the singular privilege of providing the cover information, the only entity in the nation to possess this record.

A number of significant happenings have occurred since the previous report.

First, Project Uplift was given White House Presidential recognition as one of two technical human resource development initiatives in New Mexico that serve as a promising practice in applying comprehensive approaches to diversity in the workplace. Only two entities in New Mexico, and one of three hundred in the nation, were recognized as a model for positive diversity impact replication. None of this would have been possible without the close collaboration of the universities, national laboratories, federal agencies (eg. Navy Headquarters) and major corporations.

The nation is increasingly emphasizing the importance of diversity in the global workplace. Already in 1976. Project Uplift established as a general policy that participation in each of its professional development initiatives would be reflective of population mix of the State. Since New Mexico is the home base of project Uplift with a fifty-one percent minority population, such a presence should be reflective in each initiative, Hispanics, therefore, should comprise the largest population component of its activities. It is heart-warming that twenty years prior to the new-found interest of the nation's federal and state agencies and corporations, Project Uplift adopted a program policy in diversity population inclusion. Another important Project Uplift advance is its second-year collaboration with the worldwide body, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) working with the Central America and Panama UNESCO office. Beginning with the nation of Costa Rica, we have adapted our statewide, systemic technical human resource development model as an economic development strategy to develop a more skilled work force for this developing country.

Project Uplift conducts five week-long, intense, hands-on site visits to world-class research and development facilities throughout the State. In a spirit of collaboration with UNESCO/Central America, during the second summer, high school and university students together with a professor participated in each of the summer high-technology summer youth Institutes. A total of 100 New Mexican students and 52 Costa Rican students with an accompanying professor shared in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Resulting from our partnering with UNESCO/Central America and Panama, students from four Costa Rican superior universities were selected by the Costa Rica Council of University and College Presidents. They were exposed to cutting-edge advanced research and development in world-class national laboratories, top-ranking universities, national research centers, fed" agencies (such as the US Geological Survey-Water Division), Sandia National Laboratories, the VA, the Very Large Array, Apache Point and Sun Spot. They were given current information by a vice-president of the Bank of America on how a national finance institution is preparing for the Y2K computer problem, the Millennium Bug. The various photos herein included depict these New Mexican and Costa Rican students in real-life research situations. They could even interact with nationally regarded researchers in their fields and receive kinds of information not yet published in textbooks. Also, they had an option to interact with a native New Mexican astronaut and the director of UNESCO Central America/Panama with offices in San José, Costa Rica.

The leadership of Costa Rica realizes that, to be numbered among developed countries and be effective in the global technological workplace, it must possess a pipeline of young, technically-prepared minds who will accept their national vision to catapult their nation as a significant player on the world scene. This will allow it also to become an economic leader in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the spring, Project Uplift conducts a High Technology Career Preparedness youth Institute which is limited to no more than 150 high school students and teachers from throughout New Mexico. This intensive, hands-on site interaction with advanced research and development work places is the pool from which candidates are selected to participate in one of five high-technology career-preparedness Institutes. In the last few years, the number of selected participants has been limited to fifteen, plus their advisors. The Institute selected career topics and areas where increased demand for a skilled work force is projected for the United States to maintain its global, technological leadership Focus on Environment Careers on earth and space; Medical and Health Careers; Advanced Computing Robotics, Information Systems; Advanced Manufacturing and Astronomy.