Gubernatorial bets seek stronger school-to-work pipeline

Align schools with workforce needs, strengthen Northern Marianas College and Northern Marianas Technical Institute, partner with businesses, and connect students with jobs that allow them to remain in the CNMI.

Those were among the proposals offered by the three gubernatorial bets when they were asked how their administrations would expand educational and career opportunities—and ensure those programs lead to livable wages.

Independent gubernatorial bets Lawrence F. Camacho and Blas Jonathan “BJ” T. Attao and CNMI Republican Party gubernatorial bet Ralph DLG Torres addressed education and workforce preparation during the seventh question of the Marianas Press 2026 gubernatorial debate last Aug. 18 at Pacific Islands Club Saipan’s Charley’s Cabaret.

Moderator Thomas Manglona II noted that CNMI students follow different paths after graduating from high school, including college, university, skilled trades, and military service.

Manglona then asked: “What will your administration do to strengthen local schools, NMC, and expand opportunities for careers in the trades, and how will you ensure those programs lead to livable wages in the CNMI?”

The education and career-pathways question was the seventh of 11 posed during the debate.

Camacho, a former education commissioner, said the government should strengthen both NMC and NMTI and align their programs with the Commonwealth’s workforce needs.

“We need to also pick up the NM Tech so that the trades in the institute can also bring back the workforce that we need,” Camacho said.

Camacho warned that the CNMI could face an even more serious workforce shortage after 2030 if it fails to prepare enough residents for jobs needed to rebuild the economy.

He proposed coordinating the Public School System, NMC, NMTI, the Department of Labor, and the private sector so students are trained for positions that businesses need to fill.

Camacho also suggested that NMC collaborate with other regional colleges to share courses and potentially reduce operating costs.

He pointed to career pathways developed during his tenure at PSS as a model that could connect students with postsecondary education and employment.

“Every high school will have an academy and pathways underneath those academies, aligned with the economic needs,” Camacho said.

Camacho said he and running mate and former Senate president Edith Deleon Guerrero would build upon that model by coordinating with NMC and NMTI.

Attao, a longtime House representative, similarly described NMC and NMTI as essential to developing the CNMI’s future workforce.

“NMC is going to be the economic driver for the CNMI,” Attao said. “It’s going to provide the workforce, but also NM Tech will be providing for the workforce.”

Attao said his administration, together with running mate and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, would encourage partnerships among educational institutions and private businesses seeking accountants, heating and air-conditioning technicians, engineers, and other skilled employees.

He recalled working for a private company that committed $50,000 to support five NMC students. Under the arrangement, he said, each student received $10,000 for college expenses in exchange for three years of employment with the company.

Attao said similar agreements could help students pay for their education while providing businesses with trained workers.

“We need to push our local businesses and NMC to work together and try to keep the money here in the CNMI so we can thrive and grow together,” Attao said.

He also called for expanding NMC so graduates would feel confident pursuing careers in the Commonwealth’s government and private sector.

Torres, a former governor, pointed to investments he said his administration made in NMC, NMTI, and workforce development.

“I’m not a product of NMC, but I’m definitely a supporter of NMC,” Torres said.

Torres cited federal funding secured for NMC facilities, funding increases for the college, and support for a workforce training facility and a new NMTI building. His financial figures and characterization of his administration’s record were not independently verified during the debate.

Torres also proposed considering whether the CNMI government’s scholarship resources should be directed primarily toward NMC while allowing current scholarship recipients to complete their studies.

“We should start putting all of our scholarship program to support NMC,” Torres said.

Torres argued, however, that investments in education and training must be accompanied by economic growth and new jobs.

“None of this matters if we don’t have an economy,” Torres said.

He said his administration would pursue military-related work, pharmaceutical operations, vehicle-related businesses, ship repair, and other industries.

Torres said his goal would be to increase the CNMI workforce to 26,000, although he did not provide a timeline or detailed projections supporting that target.

The gubernatorial bets then got a minute each for rebuttal.

Attao used his rebuttal to recount a conversation he and Villagomez had with high school students, including recent graduates who questioned why they should remain in the Commonwealth to attend NMC when they believed better opportunities were available elsewhere.

“We told them that NMC is right here at home,” Attao said. “Your parents are going to be with you. Life is going to be so much easier. You have a choice.”

Attao said encouraging more students to attend NMC would benefit their families and the CNMI economy.

Torres used his rebuttal to return to the need for economic opportunities and federal investment.

“Economy, economy, economy,” Torres said.

Torres proposed working with the federal government to identify infrastructure projects planned for the next five to 10 years and connect those investments with training at NMC and NMTI.

He said such opportunities should be extended beyond Saipan to Rota and Tinian.

Camacho closed the rebuttal round by proposing a system that would reward educational institutions for producing workers with competencies needed by CNMI businesses.

He said employers do not always require workers to hold full degrees and may instead need people with specific occupational credentials.

“Gone are going to be those days where we just let students go through school, let them go through college, and then let them figure out how to land those jobs,” Camacho said.

Camacho said the government, schools, and private sector should work together so students graduate with qualifications connected to available jobs rather than being left to navigate the employment market alone.