Los Alamos Makers Launches Creative Workforce Program Offering Hands-On 3D Printing Training

Los Alamos Makers launched its Creative Workforce Development Program on Feb. 23, 2026, announcing a multi-week, hands-on training initiative supported by a $40,000 Creative Support Organization Grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department. The program is billed as practical design-to-fabrication training that pairs shared tools with business mentorship so artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs can move from concept to production.

The curriculum emphasizes cross-disciplinary workflows and lists available equipment by name: laser cutters, 3D printers, embroidery machines, and sublimation equipment. Founder Prisca Tiasse framed the effort around local opportunity, saying, "Los Alamos Makers is an important partner in nurturing local talent and connecting creativity with entrepreneurship." The program description repeats the organization’s claim to create "clear pathways from learning to earning for creatives across Northern New Mexico."

State sponsorship and the broader grant round frame the program as part of New Mexico's push to diversify its economy through creative entrepreneurship and small-scale manufacturing. Rob Black, EDD Cabinet Secretary, said, "Creative industries play an increasingly important role in New Mexico’s economy, and these grants invest in organizations that support creative business growth statewide." Shani Harvie, director of the Creative Industries Division, added, "Creative support organizations are the connective tissue of our creative economy. From technical assistance and workforce development, to access to space, tools and legal services, these awardees are building systems that allow creatives to thrive across New Mexico."

Los Alamos Makers has showcased the kinds of products the program intends to support: at last year’s Science Fest the group displayed 3D-printed ice cream cone storage boxes and Oreo cookie storage boxes, a laser-cut wood carving, and a personalized laser-engraved cutting board. Those examples underline the program’s stated aim to teach practical "design-to-fabrication" workflows and to help participants turn digital designs into market-ready products.

The organization is also opening an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program intended for "scientists, engineers, creative-tech founders, independent innovators" who want a low-friction residency to prototype and test ideas. The EIR is described with plain terms: "No equity, no rigid cohorts, no startup hype, real projects, real tools, real momentum." Los Alamos Makers positions the EIR as complementary to the workforce program, though the precise operational overlap between the two offerings was not specified in the materials released.

Several operational details remain to be confirmed: sources list the new initiative as a "multi-week" program but do not specify the number of weeks, enrollment capacity, tuition or fees, class schedules, instructor names, or the exact models of 3D printers that will be available. The $40,000 EDD grant is identified in the 2025 award list as funding to "expand hands-on training, shared fabrication tools and business mentorship," but the organization has not published a detailed budget tying that award line-by-line to the new Creative Workforce Development Program.

Los Alamos Makers invites community participation outside formal classes as well; its calendar currently lists a general meeting and open house on Friday, March 27 at 5 p.m., and the group is inviting retired scientists, engineers and craftspeople to join occasional conversations, design reviews, and project nights. As the program moves from announcement to enrollment, those on-the-ground dates and the promised mix of tools and mentorship will determine whether the initiative creates the "technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to move from concept to production" that the group and state officials describe.