Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board, was awarded $1M of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding by the City of Las Vegas.
The funding will help stand-up first-of-its-kind Regional Industry Sector Partnerships in Southern Nevada to help address chronic and increased challenges local employers face due to the pandemic, including recruitment, training, and retention of qualified employees.
Industry sector partnerships have been used successfully in other states to help meet the talent needs of employers in targeted industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.
… these industry-focused partnerships can help local employers work to address their workforce development needs in a streamlined manner …
By creating these industry-focused partnerships, key local employers can work directly with education, workforce development, economic development, and community organizations to address all of their workforce development needs in a streamlined manner.
“Our goal is to accelerate the growth of high-skilled, high-wage jobs in Southern Nevada because we know that benefits businesses, workers, and our economy at large,” said Jaime Cruz, Workforce Connections executive director. “Industry sector partnerships are a proven strategy when it comes to closing skills gaps because you can prepare the workforce for what employers actually need, versus what we think they need.”
The new sector partnerships will be supported by programs already in place to assist local employers, such as a network of Employ NV Business Hubs, our region’s Workforce Blueprint 3, and the Nevada ACT Work Ready Communities initiative.
The City of Las Vegas ARP funding will be used to support workforce development activities for adults and youth, as well as staff to support the new partnerships. Workforce Connections is committed to continuing the Regional Industry Sector Partnerships beyond this initial funding.
The award to Workforce Connections was part of a $121,070,000 allocation of ARP funds voted on by the Las Vegas City Council on February 16, 2022.
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