Nevada's Workforce Innovation News
November 30, 2021 | Issue 5
From the Desk of Executive Director Isla Young
I hope you had a wonderful long holiday weekend - we certainly all have a lot to be thankful for.

We are incredibly thankful that many GOWINN projects and those of our partners are moving from planning phases to statewide implementation. In this issue, you will find opportunities to support regional sector partnerships in southern Nevada, get engaged with state entities such as the Industry Sector Councils and the Governor's Workforce Development Board (GWDB), and support Governor's Sisolak’s Southern Nevada Jobfest to help Nevadans find resources and new careers. The GOWINN team will be present, and sharing information about the many short-term credentialing and certification training programs available for Nevadans focused on healthcare, IT, manufacturing, and skilled trades. We are also delighted to feature some of the tremendous work being done by partners across the state. Thank you for reaching out via social media and email to share work to be highlighted!

All the best,
Isla and the GOWINN team
Southern Nevada Pulse Check on Tech Employer Demand
Are you, or do you work with, a technology employer that operates in Southern Nevada? Our partners need your help!

Please share this Tech Sector Inquiry Form to support research on tech jobs likely to open up over the next 1-5 years. The survey should take about 5 minutes to complete and will be tremendously helpful in supporting that region's Good Jobs Challenge grant application and other pipeline alignments.
ICYMI: Industry Sector Council Voting Members Needed
GOWINN is looking for employers to serve as voting members on each of the 4 initially revitalized councils: Manufacturing, Logistics, Technology, and Healthcare.

VOTING MEMBERS:
  • Identify as being part of or supportive of one of the initial 4 sectors: manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and technology
  • Fill a vacancy under one of the 4 categories: business (4), post-secondary education (1), organized labor (1), and other (1)
  • Attend the quarterly meetings
  • Vote on items, when agenized
  • Items will include approval of minutes from the previous meeting, infrequent formal recommendations/opinions representing the statewide sector, other items as they arise
  • Recommendations will be prioritized to enhance diverse representation whenever possible (region, sub-industry, etc.)

Please share with your industry partners and contact Amy Fleming at [email protected] with questions.
OSIT is Excited to Release Four Grant Funding Opportunities to Strengthen STEM Opportunities in Nevada
Provides up to $1,500 per classroom for teachers to purchase high-quality STEM education materials.
Applications are due December 17, 2021.
 
Provides up to $20,000 per school to implement school-wide programming and/or training for programs on the STEM Advisory Council’s List of Recommended STEM Programs.
Applications are due December 17, 2021.
 
$500,000 in funding available to create training programs provided by consortiums of secondary education, postsecondary education, and Nevada’s STEM industries.
Applications are due January 17, 2022.
 
$500,000 in funding available to create workforce training programs for in-demand, industry-recognized STEM skills.
Applications are due January 22, 2022
The Workforce Investment & Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan for Nevada 2022 Modification are Available for Public Comment
The WIOA State Plan 2022 modifications can be reviewed here:

The public comment period will last 60 days and any written public comments can be sent to Andres Feijoo, GOWINN Policy Analyst and GWDB Liaison, at [email protected].
From Crime Lab to Classroom:
A Partnership Impacting Local High School Students
One of the Washoe County School District teachers matched for a 2021 teacher externship was recently featured on the local news in a story that highlights the broader impact of the program. Keep an eye out for details on the 2022 program to hit your inboxes early in the new year!
Governor's Workforce Development Board (GWDB) Updates
GOWINN would like to thank the outgoing members of the Governor's Workforce Development Board:
  • Larry Fagerhaug (Chair) 
  • Madison Burnett
  • Stewart "Mac" Bybee
  • Ryan Cordia
  • Robert Cunningham
  • Larry Harvey
  • Marilyn Kirkpatrick
  • Melissa Maguire
  • Jim New
  • Douglas Owen
  • Joseph Riney
  • Ann Silver
  • Bill Stanley
  • Aaron West

These individuals have served on the GWDB for 3-year terms, some of them having served the maximum two terms, others filling mid-term vacancies. Their work in creating and updating the WIOA state plan, serving on subcommittees that addressed a wide variety of pertinent issues, and helping set the workforce development priorities in the state was invaluable and GOWINN is tremendously grateful for their dedication and service.

The Governor's Office is reviewing nominees to fill vacant positions and we hope to be able to announce confirmed appointments soon. The GWDB meetings are open to the public and 2022 meeting dates will be announced in this newsletter and posted on the GOWINN website.

Contact Andres Feijoo, GOWINN Policy Analyst and GWDB Liaison, at [email protected] for more information.
Southern Nevada Workforce Connections Fellowship
To increase awareness and access to the Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA) One-Stop Delivery System in southern Nevada, Workforce Connections has established a first-of-its-kind fellowship with Clark County School District (CCSD) high school counselors.

WIOA is landmark legislation that is designed to strengthen and improve our nation's public workforce system and help get individuals into high-quality jobs and careers, including youth with significant barriers to employment.

Fellows are experts on the local WIOA ecosystem and implement curriculum to complement the career development needs of students and their families.

Specific strategies include: 
• Drawing on the strengths and coping skills that learners already possess 
• Providing multi-generational (whole-family) support
• Connecting learners to suitable WIOA resources and information
• Developing career coaching models 
• Engaging in peer-to-peer professional learning (school and district level)
• Removing barriers and preparing learners to successfully compete in the workforce

Contact Ricardo Villalobos, Chief Programs Officer at Workforce Connections, at [email protected] for more information.
If workers are in short supply, why do employers continue to use digital gatekeepers that screen out millions of capable individuals? "These workers were often on a cadence of applying once or twice a month for positions but getting employment offers at the rate of one percent of the number of applications they filed. What we came up with was this notion that the way employers were approaching the process—of identifying applicants and then qualifying applicants to be candidates—caused them essentially to screen off, through the filtering they were doing, various subpopulations of applicants, effectively hiding them from the process."
How Do You Evaluate Competency When Providing Career Planning Guidance?
Competency models found in the Competency Model Clearinghouse can be used to assist students and job seekers identify occupational knowledge, skills, and abilities; determining individual skill gaps; pinpointing education and training needs; and connecting to industry networks.
Advancing Equitable Access To - And Success In - Work-Based Learning
The economic and societal instability from COVID-19 revealed the inequities in our education and workforce systems and forced policymakers to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that programs remained accessible. This brief looks at states that are improving equitable access to work-based learning.
Opinion: The majority of Americans Lack a College Degree.
Why Do So Many Employers Require One?
While companies scramble to find talent amid perceived “skills gaps” and “labor shortages,” their job postings exclude millions of qualified Americans. These applicants do not face this dispiriting experience because of race, ethnicity, gender, age, or disability — these reasons would be illegal, and rightly so. Instead, they are excluded because they’re among the roughly two-thirds of U.S. workers who lack a bachelor’s degree.
The Great Attrition Stems from A Great Disconnect
There’s a clear disconnect between why employers think their employees are leaving and the actual reasons behind employee exits. Our survey results found that employees were far more likely to prioritize relational factors, including feeling valued by their manager and organization and having a sense of belonging. In contrast, employers were more likely to focus on transactional factors, such as inadequate compensation and work-life balance. Click through the interactive to learn more about what is important to employees versus what employers think matters.
Please send relevant opportunities and updates to [email protected] to be included in future issues.
GOWINN | gowinn.nv.gov