By Leonard Lafrance, Nevada Business Magazine, July 11, 2023
A new consortium has been established between GOWINN (the Nevada Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation); Manufacture Nevada (an industry support group); NCLab (a Nevada-based supplier of online vocational training) and the Nevada Library System to provide a pool of new talent for the manufacturing industry.
The program combines comprehensive targeted training, manufacturing job placement and state supported financial aid to ensure that applicants get the skills necessary to begin a meaningful career and that manufactures have a pipeline of well-trained employees.
“Through this program,” states Leonard Lafrance, NCLab President, “enrollees are able to reskill or upskill for the new economy while Nevada manufacturers, who are seeking employees, get access to people who are job ready upon completion of the training.”
The program begins with an assessment. Those that qualify enter into a training program with NCLab that provides strong foundational skills in computational thinking, data literacy, and spatial literacy and soft skills that include professional communication, time management, critical and logical thinking, problem solving, perseverance, and adaptability.
The cost of the training is paid for by GOWINN for vetted applicants.
Upon completion, graduates are ready to pass widely recognized certifications including NCRC (National Career Readiness Certificate) and TOSA. NCLab and Manufacture Nevada assist graduates with job placement. Most graduates start a new career immediately upon graduation.
According to Gerd Poppinga, Sr., President of Vineburg Machining, Inc., a high-precision manufacturer in Carson City, “the program identifies Nevadans who want to step up into growth-oriented manufacturing jobs, assesses them, up-skills them with foundational hard and soft skills, and makes them available to manufacturers in the state through a no-cost queuing system. I am truly excited about the prospects for our industry and the state. It will be a game changer.”
Tom Simpkins, Director of Nevada Industry Excellence concurs. “The program provides a pool of new talent at a time when Nevada manufacturers are in urgent need of capable workers.”
More information on the program can be obtained through NCLab. https://nclab.com/nvmfg-info