The Northern Marianas College can offer more programs to address a looming manpower crisis in the CNMI if it has more funds to work with.<\/p>\n
This is essentially the message NMC president Dr. Sharon Hart gave lawmakers during a budget hearing on Capital Hill yesterday.<\/p>\n
NMC has proposed a budget of $8.4 million for fiscal year 2016 to fund its personnel expansion and operations. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, however, just asked the Legislature for over $4 million for the college.<\/p>\n
The budget trajectory for the NMC seems to be flat, considering that from 2007 to 2015 its budget averaged only $4.4 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur business is the education business,\u201d Hart said, adding that \u201cit is challenging if you don\u2019t have the resources\u201d and that the NMC cannot be expected to come up with more programs with its present resources.<\/p>\n
Hart emphasized that NMC has implemented radical cost-cutting measures, foremost of which is reducing its manpower from more than 200 to a little over 100. It also introduced cost-saving measures for its utilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we have to hold on to our employees,\u201d Hart said, when asked what the NMC\u2019s top priority will be for its fiscal year 2016 budget.<\/p>\n
David J. Attao, NMC dean of Administration and Resource Development, added that NMC faces a daunting challenge to address the training needs of some 400 occupations currently held by CW workers.<\/p>\n
Based on NMC\u2019s own reckoning, about $250 million will be needed to replace all CW workers by 2019, or about $42.6 million each year, Attao said.<\/p>\n
But the real challenge is that NMC, the Northern Marianas Technical Institute, and the Public School System combined cannot provide the necessary training for all the 400 occupations, Hart said.<\/p>\n
In an interview, Hart, however, said she is \u201coptimistic\u201d that lawmakers will support NMC\u2019s call for more funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly believe that they [lawmakers] are seeing the great work that we have done in the past year. They may not give the whole budget [$8.4 million] but I\u2019m optimistic they will support the NMC,\u201d Hart said. \u201cAn educated community is our engine for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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