According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the employment rate in El Paso has decreased from 11.8% to 7.9% in 2020. Professional and business services sector increased by 5.8% annually, followed by the education and health services sector. The hospitality sector has increased by an annual average of 580 jobs over the past 6 years. Since 2000, the labor force has increased by 45,500. More than 80% of the job growth in the El Paso region was in the service providing sectors. With the completion of the proposed Culinary Program, EPCC will be well positioned to meet the needs of an ever growing job sector.
From the regional level, EPCC is the only Culinary Arts Program at the collegiate level, with the closest similar program residing in Albuquerque, NM. NMSU has a Food Science program and is currently partnered with EPCC. This, geographically speaking, places the city of El Paso almost central between Phoenix and San Antonio, the next closest cities with strong Culinary Programs. This makes EPCC an ideal resource for El Paso and the surrounding areas as the primary Culinary School for the West Texas and Southern New Mexico region. The closest culinary program in Mexico is modeled after the EPCC program and is located in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Local, regional and national trends and estimates suggest that the foodservice industry will continue to grow at an expanding rate. The geographic location of El Paso in relation to not only the border, but other major U.S. cities leaves us in an enviable spot to serve the needs of not only West Texas and Southern New Mexico, but also our neighbors in Mexico. The Culinary Program already has a notably strong reputation in the region, such that companies as far away as Alaska and California seek out our graduates.
The Culinary Arts Program at EPCC will continue to evolve and grow. Through collaborative endeavors across disciplines within the college as well as innovative partnerships in the industry, our students will continue to gain an ever increasing insight into the foodservice industry and graduate from the program all the stronger. It is the intent of the program leaders and instructors to maintain 100% placement of graduates and to continue as educational partners on the individual level with each student of the program, thus providing a path for lifelong learning and professional fulfillment. With the completion of the new program, our reputation as an industry leader and innovator will be further cemented and our program will be even more widely recognized as the Best Place to start a culinary career.