Pascua Yaqui Tribe to build new job-training center with $4M grant

The grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration will fund construction of a 3,200-square-foot workforce development facility at 2455 N. Fairview Ave., near the Old Pascua Yaqui Village.

Besides funding construction of what will be called the Pascua Yaqui Career Pivot Center, the grant also will pay for the acquisition of heavy equipment for apprentice training in construction trades and create an estimated 135 jobs, the tribe said.

The facility and equipment, which will also include four heavy-equipment operator training simulators, will be used to train workers for the tribe’s construction arm, Sonoran Pueblo Contracting, as well as other local training partners, said Daune Cardenas, CEO of the Pascua Yaqui Development Corp.

Sonoran Pueblo Contracting currently has 36 employees, including about 60% who are tribal members, she said.

The tribe plans to start design and engineering work in August and have the center up and running about 16 months later, or toward the end of 2025 or early 2026, Cardenas said.

“Arizona’s economy has unique needs, especially in rural and tribal communities, and it’s important that we continue to support these areas through targeted investments,” said Senator Mark Kelly. “This funding for the Pascua Yaqui community is a prime example of how we can create good-paying jobs and bolster our workforce. By constructing a new training facility and providing essential resources, we are helping to build a stronger, more resilient economy for Southern Arizona.”

The tribe originally wanted to build the center on tribal trust land in the Old Pascua Village area south of Grant Road and east of Interstate 10, which was placed in trust for the tribe by the federal government under an act signed into law in December 2022, she said.

But since the trust status would have complicated matters legally, the tribe acquired the Fairview Avenue property just north of Old Pacqua, Cardenas said.

The need for construction workers is great, as the tribe is in the midst of a building boom that includes a new casino under construction on Grant near I-10 and a 40-acre master-planned development, including an affordable housing development on reservation land on Tucson’s west side.

Though Sonoran Pueblo Contracting is not on that job, Cardenas said, the tribal company has been busy with projects including elder-care homes and road projects.

“We’re going to have so much work we’re going to have to partner with other people, and we’ve got a lot of interest,” Cardenas said.

The entire community will benefit from the new workforce development center, and the tribal apprenticeships are available to anyone, not just Pascua Yaqui members.

The tribe also partners with the Tohono O’odham Nation Community College on its training programs and with a private trade school, Workforce Training Academy, for heavy equipment training.

For information about Sonoran Pueblo Contracting apprenticeships, visit cteconsortium.org/training-choices.