Governor Brian Sandoval announced the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) was awarded a $799,765 ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion grant by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant will be used to fund the Technical Readiness and Apprenticeship (TRAIN) project, a statewide effort to align programs, effectively utilize and interpret data, and reduce barriers to education, literacy, and training through Registered Apprenticeships.
The Department of Labor awarded $50.5 million to 36 states and Guam to expand apprenticeship programs. Nevada’s Registered Apprenticeship program will serve 708 apprentices in the industries of healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, logistics, mining and materials, natural resources, and tourism, gaming and entertainment, with emphasis on incumbent and underrepresented workers statewide.
“I am pleased that the Department of Labor has awarded Nevada this valuable grant that will greatly improve professional opportunities for apprenticeship participants,” said Governor Sandoval in a press release. “By promoting new collaborations between the State and private businesses, and aligning apprenticeship programs with 21st century industries and emerging sectors of our economy, this grant will enhance Nevada’s workforce development system and generate more effective solutions for meeting the growing demands of our State’s business community.”
Manny Lamarre, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation will oversee the grant for Nevada.
“This is an exciting time for the State of Nevada in workforce development,” Lamarre said in a press release. “DETR’s leadership did an excellent job submitting a competitive application. It’s great to see that the Department of Labor recognizes the work the State is doing to advance workforce development by helping individuals to develop the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience, and disposition to be successful in today’s labor market through Registered Apprenticeships.”
The goals of the Registered Apprenticeship program is to produce highly skilled Nevada workers who can meet the needs of employers in a competitive and global economy. In Nevada, this includes leveraging apprenticeship programs to address the needs of those hardest to serve to help reduce unemployment and underemployment; and to build upon the apprenticeship program as a cornerstone of the workforce development system.
Currently there are more than 2,800 Nevada residents participating in Registered Apprenticeship programs in areas such as machine repair, tool and die, facility maintenance, electrician, operating engineers and telecommunications. According to the Department of Labor, 91 percent of apprentices are employed after completing their programs, with an average starting salary of more than $60,000 a year.
