(The Center Square) – The New Mexico Job Training Incentive Program Board issued five businesses in March to help with the workforce training of 70 trainees and two interns, the Economic Development Department announced.

The Job Training Incentive Program exists to help reimburse companies after they complete training and meet the agreed-upon benchmarks of the program.

The program encourages hiring in rural areas, plus the hiring of recent state college graduates.

“We are committed to ensuring that as businesses expand and grow, they not only stay in our state but also provide employment, career opportunities and training to New Mexico residents,” Acting Cabinet Secretary Mark Roper said. “The JTIP program, along with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s robust and innovative tuition-free college initiatives, will ensure we can grow our own workforce for decades to come.”

Overall, the state awarded more than $814,000 in JTIP awards for five companies.

Here are the recipients:

1. F5 Theming & Design 2 LLC — The Animas-based company received $86,562 for five workers, making an average of $21.80 an hour.

The company is an art design and manufacturing company that focuses on themed entertainment and commercial environments.

“Its mission is to dramatically alter the form, appearance, or character of its client’s establishment to create a transformational experience,” the release said.

2. Advanced Manufactured Power Solutions — The Albuquerque-based company got $24,627 for training one worker who earns $40.87 an hour.

The company makes battery packs for the defense and space industries.

“Last year they were awarded their first out-of-state contract, a project for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California,” a release said.

3. Franklin Mountain Packaging, LLC — The Santa Teresa-based company will receive $623,923 for training 61 workers, making an average wage of $19.11.

“Franklin Mountain Packaging is engaged in the manufacturing of corrugated sheets and providing unique digital printing services for the corrugated box-making industry,” the release said.

4. Olive Tree Pharmacy, Co. — The Rio Rancho-based company trained three workers earning an average wage of $28.40 an hour and one intern making $19.75 an hour. The company got $66,990.

Olive Tree Pharmacy makes non-sterile medications for families and pets throughout New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Maryland, Georgia, Alaska, Illinois, and Indiana.

“Its compounded products are an alternative to commercially available retail medications and are individually tailored to meet the specific needs of their patients,” the release said.

5. Knight Scientific Systems, LLC, — The Los Ranchos-based company trained one intern with a wage of $40 an hour and got an award of $12,800.

The company is developing multi-spectral Object Detection (OD) tools to “bring the power of machine learning to all imaging wavebands,” the release said.

Knight participates in the University of New Mexico’s student internship program. It also plans to expand to New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University.

A spokesman for EDD told The Center Square that the state has provided this job training incentive for interns for several years.