The State, through STEM Workforce Challenge Grants, seeks to spark the creation of lasting partnerships between industry and workforce training providers. These partnerships must result in:
- The identification of STEM-specific skills needed by employers in Nevada;
- The creation of programs that provide the education and skills training to workers that match the needs of employers;
- Are aligned with present and future workforce needs in Nevada as identified by relevant labor market information (LMI); and
- Are sustainable after grant funds have been exhausted.
Grant Information
Great Basin College (GBC) was awarded $42,958.50 for the Industrial Maintenance Technology program in Elko. The program will purchase a new crane simulator package to prepare students to safely rig and operate RTC, Crawler, Flat-Top Tower, and Luffing Tower cranes. Using the simulator, students will know how to properly identify slings and common rigging hardware, how to inspect and properly use slings and hardware, how to properly use hand signals according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), how to select, use, and maintain special rigging equipment, and how to identify basic rigging and crane safety procedures. Students in the Industrial Maintenance Technology certificate program participate in a 42-week curriculum from August through May. The highly technical training program utilizes readings, quizzes, written tests, performance evaluations, homework and shop/lab activities involving rigging and sling inspections. Instruction occurs in the classroom or shop/lab; students also access homework online. Completers will earn up to four Nevada Industry-Recognized Credentials, including NCCER Core, Rigging Practices, Crane Communications, and Crane Safety and Emergency Procedures.
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) was awarded $14,400.00 to pilot the Supervisory and Leadership Bootcamp, aimed at upskilling employees in STEM industries to leadership positions. The program is based on feedback provided by local STEM industries during the Good Jobs Northern Nevada employer roundtables focused on Logistics, Manufacturing, IT, and Healthcare. Employers shared that middle management personnel often have the relevant technical STEM expertise, but lack leadership and supervisory skills needed to be effective. TMCC will design a two-part curriculum consisting of 64 hours of in-person training with online reflections. The program will focus on foundational supervisory skills and higher-level management tasks such as mentoring, team building, role and objective development. The program will include industry contexts and simulations. Participants will earn a TMCC Career Certificate and acquire the ability to identify and understand how personal effectiveness or “soft skills” influence their behavior and performance, apply cognitive functions and thinking styles that are critical for management positions, implement essential work readiness skills to function in an organization setting effectively, and fulfill crucial management and leadership skills to run successful and effective teams. The target population for this program is new or existing supervisors and managers. TMCC will market and recruit through the Professional Development Office, EDAWN, local workforce board, social service agencies, title partners of the WIOA, TMCC’s Director of Workforce Development, the Program Director of the Career Hub, and the Marketing and Communications Office.