Silver State Times

Nevada has been highlighted in the National Governors Association workforce publication as one of a handful of states where governors and state leaders are reconnecting workers to the labor force and sustainable jobs through new models of service delivery.

In a release this month, Gov. Steve Sisolak said state officials will remain focused on accelerating Nevada’s economic recovery, creating good-paying jobs and helping get residents back to work.

“Nevada is in the national spotlight because of the great work we’ve done in developing programs and policies to support and retrain our workforce,” Sisolak said in the release. 

Nevada was one of just 10 states in the inaugural cohort of the governors' association Workforce Innovation Network launched last year, the release stated. This was set to work as a nonpartisan learning and action collaborative for leaders committed to building up a strong workforce.

Among the state’s work with the network, Nevada noticed a disproportionate impact on the state’s hospitality industry during the pandemic, which promoted an urgency for new solutions toward more sustainable, high-demand careers, a workforce report from the governors' association said. Through the program, they were able to develop a plan to integrate multiple reemployment and economic development initiatives to connect displaced workers with new career opportunities and help to close the gaps in employment.

While all 10 states participating in the Workforce Innovation Network had implemented a similar design to close gaps in the workforce, each state issued a unique initiative aligned with its governor’s workforce and economic recovery goals, according to the release.