Rio Rancho McDonald's Launches Three-Year JAG Pilot Connecting Youth to Jobs

McDonald's on Rio Rancho Boulevard and Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) announced a three-year pilot that will turn the restaurant into a drop-in site where local youth can enroll in job supports, develop workplace competencies and pursue employment with the restaurant. The program aims to create a clearer education-to-employment pipeline for 16- to 24-year-olds in Sandoval County and surrounding communities.

The pilot, unveiled at a Jan. 20 event attended by McDonald's leadership, JAG officials and state workforce representatives, will allow young people to meet with a JAG specialist on-site, receive job-readiness coaching and increase their chances of qualifying for McDonald's Archways to Opportunity program, which enables tuition-free college education for eligible employees. McDonald's owner/operator Clementina "Clemy" Garza called the partnership the product of coordinated risk-taking and public-private support. "It's important to recognize that partnerships like the one we're celebrating today don't happen by accident, and they don't happen without leaders who are willing to take thoughtful risks," Garza said. She also credited the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. "The partnership between McDonald's and JAG-New Mexico would not have been possible without the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and their willingness to believe in JAG-New Mexico's ability to serve young people who are often overlooked, underestimated and lacking in significant areas. DWS took a chance on these students, and it's making a real difference."

JAG-NM Executive Director Kaity Parent said the idea grew after Job Corps sites in Albuquerque and Roswell closed and JAG absorbed displaced participants. Parent described the Rio Rancho restaurant as a convenient local testing ground: "When you do a pilot, you know there's going to be a lot of bumps, and you don't know things that you're going to run into. By having a McDonald's that's local to us, that we know is going to grace us as we learn how this process is going to unfold, that's the partner that we need. We want to make sure we can duplicate this over and over again for all McDonald's sites."

Jan Ennis, JAG's senior vice president of operations, framed the pilot as a way to close gaps between talent and opportunity. "JAG exists to help close these gaps," Ennis said. "We do this with intentional partnerships like today. This program is a perfect complement to JAG's mission. Both JAG and Archways prepare young people to succeed in education and life. This is more than just a job at McDonald's, it's a collaborative system of support; it's that post in your corner."

McDonald's contributed $5,000 to seed the pilot. The event also recognized Archways graduates, including Carolyn Reinhart, 59, who earned a bachelor's in human resources management through the program and will help connect more than 400 employees across six Rio Rancho-area restaurants with JAG services. "It will be my responsibility to make sure that the JAG and our employees are united, and that we get that person in the right store with the right fit and we get them on the right track," Reinhart said. "I think it’s going to take off. McDonald’s is going to be able to take it far."

For Sandoval County residents, the pilot could expand immediate job access while strengthening a pipeline for postsecondary credentials. If the three-year test proves effective, the model could scale to other local employers and help address ongoing gaps in youth employment and workforce training across northern New Mexico.