Modernizing its current workforce system and replacing it with one that can translate skills and work experience into credentials
About the Program
Overview
The U.S. Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund – Reimagine Workforce Preparation (ESF-RWP) Discretionary Grants Program provides Nevada with the opportunity to assist thousands of adult and dislocated workers who have been adversely affected by the pandemic. This proposed project, Supporting and Advancing Nevada’s Dislocated Individuals (Project SANDI), addresses Absolute Priority 1(a)(b) and Competitive Preference Priority 1: Distance Education.
Core Goals of Project SANDI
Nevada seeks to help its dislocated and underemployed workers and new job seekers by:
Expanding the use of digital platforms (including virtual reality) to remotely offer accelerated training and degree programs for in-demand occupations
Building an enhanced career navigation tool (Nevada CareerExplorer)
Developing an online, self-paced entrepreneurship module that will be embedded in training and educational programs in Nevada.
Impact to Nevada
Nevada has been hard hit in terms of unemployment claims due to the impacts of COVID-19. As of July 21, 2020, the unemployment rate in Nevada was 15.0%, the fourth highest in the U.S. A survey of small businesses in southern Nevada found that two-thirds of the 2,630 southern Nevada businesses polled said they are experiencing a decline in revenue as compared to 2019; 58% noted a decline of more than 25% in revenues. The hardest hit industries in Nevada are accommodations and food services, and retail. As of April 2020, Nevada’s service and tourism industry had experienced a 41% year-on-year job loss rate.