Current:Home > ContactHow Nevada aims to increase vocational education -Stellar Wealth Sphere
How Nevada aims to increase vocational education
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:44:54
In 2023, manufacturing job postings grew by 46 percent throughout the U.S., making it no surprise that organizations across Nevada are working to develop programs that address demands for blue-collar jobs.
“By developing a skilled and diverse workforce, we are not only supporting our local economy but also attracting new businesses to our region,” said Milton Stewart, CEO of Nevadaworks, which partners with employers in Northern Nevada to provide a skilled workforce.
As of 2022, almost 22 percent of Nevada’s workforce is considered “blue-collar” workers — a jump from 10.3 percent in 2016.
Although vocational high schools and colleges have long been an option in Nevada, four-year colleges are now beginning to offer programs that delve into careers that take place outside of an office setting — welding, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, automotive and electrical work.
Although UNR doesn’t offer vocational programs, it has developed two new applied learning programs that aim to support Nevada’s billion-dollar outdoor-based tourism industry by giving students a path to pursue a career in outdoor recreation.
These programs, in partnership with the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation, include a major emphasis in sustainable outdoor recreation management and a minor in outdoor adventure and leadership.
Andy Rost, director of the program, said this area of study “is a long time coming.”
“There are similar programs in many Western state universities, and the outdoor economy in Northern Nevada is just booming. I think there’s a huge need for (them)” he said.
Before it was introduced at UNR, the program was offered at Sierra Nevada University, which UNR took over in 2022. Rost said because UNR didn’t have an outdoor recreation program, university officials were interested in bringing it to the Reno campus.
“I think that many years ago, UNR used to have more programs that were aimed at outdoor recreation … so it’s a nice opportunity,” said John Shintani, vice provost of undergraduate education.
Shintani said that he thinks the outdoor recreation focused programs are great for students because they provide an opportunity to find jobs after graduation and “potentially allows (UNR) to recruit different kinds of students.”
At Great Basin College, a welding lab is undergoing expansion with the hope of retaining “skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen for the ever-growing workforce needs in rural Nevada,” the school noted in a post on LinkedIn.
In addition to school programs, Nevadaworks, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), and the United States Department of Labor all offer training and hands-on programs.
Nevadaworks’ apprentice program, the Nevada Apprenticeship Initiative, is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and is “designed to create equitable registered apprenticeship pathways by expanding pre-apprenticeship programs” according to a press release.
DETR’s vocational training programs specialize in health care, skilled trades and information technology. DETR also offers scholarships, transportation and child care, career coaches and a career assessment tool.
Ben Daseler, chief of workforce operations at DETR, said there is a high demand from employers.
“A lot of people left the trades because they got hit so hard (by the 2009 recession). Then as things improved, there’s the demand for those occupations,” Daseler said.
Nevada’s Office of the Labor Commissioner recently received a $721,602 grant from the Department of Labor’s State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula, to boost job training through the Culinary Academy Las Vegas apprenticeship and the UNLV educator pathways programs.
“This grant award enables awardees to pursue a career and obtain financial stability without incurring debt,” said Toni Giddens, Nevada’s state apprenticeship director.
The Culinary Academy program pays apprentices in underserved communities to work with a full-time certified chef instructor, where they are provided with the materials needed for their training and paid a competitive salary. After completing the program, apprentices traditionally receive job offers from the Las Vegas resorts that partner with the program.
UNLV provides alternative methods for those interested in becoming educators through its Paraprofessional Pathways Project and the Accelerated Alternative Route to Licensure. Both are fast-track methods to become licensed teachers, and allow students to work and earn an income while completing their studies.
___
This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
veryGood! (523)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Justin Timberlake debuts new song 'Selfish' at free hometown concert, teases 2024 album
- Caitlin Clark collides with court-storming fan after Iowa's loss to Ohio State
- Ohio State adds 2024 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin through transfer portal from Alabama
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Abortion opponents at March for Life appreciate Donald Trump, but seek a sharper stance on the issue
- San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel exits win with shoulder injury
- Danish royals attend church service to mark King Frederik’s first visit outside the capital
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Iran is ‘directly involved’ in Yemen Houthi rebel ship attacks, US Navy’s Mideast chief tells AP
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Taylor Swift cheers on Travis Kelce as the Kansas City Chiefs again take on Buffalo Bills
- Lions host Bucs in divisional round, aiming to win 2 playoff games in season for 1st time since 1957
- Second tropical cyclone in 2 months expected to hit northern Australia coast
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- I Look Like I Got Much More Sleep Than I Actually Did Thanks to This Under Eye Balm
- Taylor Swift simply being at NFL playoff games has made the sport better. Deal with it.
- That 'True Detective: Night Country' frozen 'corpsicle' is unforgettable, horrifying art
Recommendation
North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
Ron DeSantis drops out of 2024 Republican presidential race, endorses Trump ahead of New Hampshire primary
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson silences his postseason critics (for now) in big win over Houston
4 rescued and 2 dead in crash of private Russian jet in Afghanistan, the Taliban say
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi unleashes lava as other volcanoes flare up, forcing thousands to evacuate
Paris Men’s Fashion Week draws to a close, matching subtle elegance with bursts of color
U.S. sees over 90 weather-related deaths as dangerous cold continues