Workforce Connections Awarded $1 Million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funds by City of Las Vegas

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On February 16, 2022, the City of Las Vegas approved more than $121 million in American Rescue Plan funds for affordable housing, nonprofits, businesses, and pandemic response. Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), was awarded $1 million of ARP funds to help its industry-focused workforce development program.

The program, Regional Industry Sector Partnerships in Southern Nevada, is established to help address chronic and increased challenges local employers face due to the pandemic, including recruitment, training, and retention of qualified employees. Workforce Connections will use the fund to support workforce development activities for adults and youth, as well as staff to support the new partnerships. The organization is committed to continuing the program beyond this initial funding.

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. By creating these partnerships, 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.

Workforce Connections has other programs to assist local employers, such as Employ NV Business Hubs and Nevada ACT Work Ready Communities. Job seekers can visite its One-Stop Career Center to search for jobs and receive assistance with writing a resume or preparing for an interview.

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.

“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.”

To learn more about Workforce Connections, please visite https://nvworkforceconnections.org/.

To see a complete list of those who have been approved for ARP funding, please visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/ARP.

Source: Workforce Connections and City of Las Vegas

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