LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said Las Vegas is becoming a national model for connecting workers with high-demand jobs without always needing a four-year degree.
Sonderling toured the Vegas Chamber’s EmployNV Business Hub, an employer-focused American Job Center co-located inside the chamber.
Chamber partnership
“This is a very unique American Job Center here, because it’s partnered with the Chamber of Commerce,” Sonderling said. “There’s literally not a wall separating between the two. And that’s special, because you literally have the American Job Center here that’s dedicated to make sure that workers know how to come here, have those opportunities with what skills they need, and lead them to jobs. And then you have the Chamber of Commerce, where you have businesses who, you know, come to the Chamber to not only be part of the community, but to hire locally.”
Alternative pathways
Sonderling also pointed to new “alternative pathways” like the Workforce Pell Program, which lets students use financial aid for short eight- to fifteen-week certificate courses instead of longer degree programs.
“And that’s really what’s going to allow workers to get in the workforce, get higher paying jobs, and really be productive right away,” Sonderling said. “So that’s why these group conversations are so important, and really just some of the alternative pathways into the workforce, really moving away from needing a four-year degree for every single job.”
Sonderling said as manufacturing and other high-skill jobs grow in Nevada, partnerships between employers, schools and the public workforce system are critical to making sure local workers get those opportunities.
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