In New Mexico, the demand for well-educated employees will only increase over the next several years. In the decade leading up to 2012, healthcare occupations will see growth of 32 percent. Teachers will be in high demand: nearly 12,380 educators (including librarians) will need to be hired. Managers will see their ranks swell by 21 percent; when you add in retirements, over 2,310 openings will need to be filled each year. The growth of these sectors is good news for New Mexico's citizens, since wages for jobs in these areas are significantly higher than the average for New Mexico in general. Most positions in these fields will require a bachelor's degree or higher, and the question for New Mexico is how, in a time of tight budgets, to meet the increasing demands on higher education and thereby meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated economy. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) was launched specifically to address the shortage of workforce-training opportunities in medicine, dentistry, and other professional fields. Today, WICHE offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional options that help the West's states educate and train their citizens, building their economies in the process. WICHE and its 15 member states--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming-work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy among states and institutions, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions to the region's social, economic, and civic life. This publication presents 3 student exchange programs available to students in New Mexico. They are: (1) The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which allows students to enroll in out-of-state institutions at a reduced tuition level; (2) Through WICHE's Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), New Mexico students are studying to be dentists, veterinarians, optometrists, osteopathic physicians, and librarians--In general, at least 60 percent of PSEP students return to their home state to practice; and (3) New Mexico students also participate in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), which offers them the chance to engage in graduate studies and includes 175 distinctive programs in 14 states, such as education, nursing, and business. (Contains 2 tables.)