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
College of Southern Nevada (CSN) was awarded $230,073 to enhance its existing Associates of Applied Sciences- Environmental Management (AAS-EM) degree with the creation of a Geology Course (GEOL 220) titled Mineralogy in order to better meet the needs of employer partners. Grant funds will purchase needed equipment that are essential to offering the course. An estimated 24 students will take the course each semester as a part of the program. By the year 2024, approximately 1,400 vacancies will exist in the Environmental Management field.
Western Nevada College (WNC) was awarded $204,753 to support the creation of a Paramedicine Certificate program in order to better meet the needs of employer partners and support the development of a rural healthcare workforce. The Paramedicine Certificate program will stack on the Grantee’s existing EMS Certificate program. Some learning will occur online to better accommodate rural students while required hands-on training will occur in Carson City or another central location. Grant funds will be spent on needed equipment for the program and personnel needed to design and coordinate the program’s launch. About 18 students will enroll in each cohort in the spring and conclude the program by earning their certificate at the end of the fall semester.
William B. Ririe Hospital in Ely, Nevada was awarded $189,105 to create an Associate Registered Nursing program. The Hospital will partner with Great Basin College, which will provide course instruction and the degree, and White Pine County High School, which will host the program and help recruit students. Additional students will be recruited from surrounding rural areas. Didactic training will be online and clinical training will be hands on at the hospital. The program will start in the fall of 2020. An estimated 5 students each year will complete their Associate RN degree beginning in 2022. The partners have committed to recruiting students that are underrepresented in STEM fields. Grant funds were used to purchase state-of-the-art simulation mannequins and other equipment needed to start the program. All students who complete the program will receive a job interview from the hospital and other program partners in the area.