Local agencies work to develop a skilled workforce to fit the growing demands of companies

Nevadaworks has been the Local Workforce Investment Board in northern Nevada since the Workforce Investment Act became official in July 2000. Its primary mission is to work with businesses to understand current workforce needs and then distribute any available funding to approved training providers to help satisfy such workforce needs.

What sounded fairly straightforward in 2000 has proven to be more complex.

Which businesses, what skill sets, what level of training and what parts of the workforce, are some questions that have continuously arisen. To seek satisfactory answers, Nevadaworks staff introduced the agency to businesses within the 13 northern counties of Nevada.

For several years members of local chambers, business associations, economic development authorities and local governments often replied to our introduction with "Nevada what?"

Through a determined effort to have workforce issues understood by all, Nevadaworks pursued a long behind-the-scenes effort to bring awareness of our challenges to those who make workforce decisions.

As the qualified worker shortage of the past two years has intensified, the efforts of Nevadaworks have erased the question about its name and brought many to ask what can be done to solve our severe worker shortage. There is now strong recognition that a local workforce board with its specialized knowledge can be very beneficial to all in need of well trained workers.

During a recent interview in the Reno Gazette Journal, Tim Rubald, director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, stated that the question of a sufficient qualified workforce is one of the most asked by companies considering a new location in Nevada. As a member of the State Workforce Investment Board, Tim learns first hand how the workforce boards coordinate with businesses so his department can assure all employers that the Nevada workforce is outstanding and that current shortages are being addressed.

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (www.edawn.org) and the economic development division of Sierra Pacific Power (econdev.sierrapacific.com/sppc) have devoted specific website links to answer the many workforce questions they receive. The worldwide worker shortage has focused the attention of those who desire to expand and those who make relocation decisions to look more closely at the regions with well trained workforces that will meet their needs. Who is in the workforce and what training they need have become urgent concerns for all industries.

Fortunately for northern Nevada, our diversified economy has created outstanding businesses and organizations that work well together to solve broad based problems. When taking office as chair of the Reno Sparks Chamber this year, Dee Schafer Kruper stated that the workforce problems facing our region would be a top initiative of the chamber. Since then, the chamber has convened a group representing Nevadaworks, Truckee Meadows Community College, University of Nevada Reno, Washoe County School District and various business interests to work on a workforce training proposal to present to the legislature. This proposal would build on past successful programs while adding new dimensions to address current training challenges.

This workgroup has looked at worker training needs in our region and desires to introduce 21st Century solutions. What worked in the past is often not a good guide for the future. The need for lifelong training transcends all industries. We are part of a global economy and failure to constantly train the workforce will result in failure of our economic system.

Initiatives such as the chamber is pursuing must be supported.

Now that Nevadaworks has been joined in the workforce improvement battle by those mentioned above, we must move on to the next steps. We need to know your workforce needs. What are the latest skill sets required in your industry? How do you train those skills? What efforts are you willing to put into training? A well-trained workforce benefits the entire region and requires contributions from all businesses. What will be your contribution?

Do local workers know of your company and all current job openings? Are you offering ongoing training as an employee benefit? Are you willing to lobby your legislative candidates to support programs such as the chamber initiative? If your answers are anything other than a resounding yes then you could well be part of the problem in workforce development rather than part of the solution.

Join our efforts. Help Nevadaworks facilitate groups to work together and think differently. This will enable northern Nevada to create its own unique solutions to an immediate need and through those solutions, continue to expand the economy and be the region of choice for many organizations and individuals.

Nevadaworks was created to coordinate the solutions to northern Nevada's workforce needs. Positive results are on the horizon and with all of us partnered together, the future regional workforce will be solid proof of the benefits gained by working together.

I look forward to your input.

Tom Fitzgerald is chief executive officer of Nevadaworks.