Nevada’s plans for education, workforce development stir discussion
While Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has touted the arrival of high-tech companies including electric carmaker Faraday Future, battery maker Tesla and others, he also has acknowledged that the state — which consistently ranks last or near-last in the nation in education — still faces the challenge of implementing a plan to train the needed workforce.
Just how can Nevada address the workforce skills gap?
On Wednesday, the Atlantic Magazine held a series of Nevada-centric panels that sought to examine the state’s plans for education and workforce development.
The event, “Confronting the Skills Gap: Defining the New Nevada,” was held at The Venue in downtown Las Vegas.
Manny Lamarre, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation, said that prospective employees will need to develop diverse skill sets. Lamarre argued that in the future, job titles will become obsolete as job responsibilities rapidly change, even mid-job.
Employers, said Lamarre, won’t necessarily say “this is the job you’re (exactly) going to have.”
Lamarre added that early exposure to science, technology, math and engineering — or STEM topics — will be key to building the foundation for a highly skilled workforce.
Kristi Overgaard, an executive vice president with data company Switch, emphasized the importance of an “interdisciplinary mindset” and said that employees need to have communication skills to complement technical ones.
Mike Kazmierski, president and CEO of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, said more jobs in the state are becoming STEM skills-driven and will be more “equipment-based, not people-based.”
Panelists agreed that Nevada’s ability to build a highly skilled workforce would benefit the state beyond the immediate future.
Jonas Peterson, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, said that the single most important factor for companies looking to expand somewhere is the presence of a highly skilled workforce.
“It didn’t used to be that way,” said Peterson.
Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.
