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Nevada Works outlines grants, hubs and new youth and apprenticeship programs
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Summary
Mel Stewart, CEO of Nevada Works, briefed the commission on the agency's role as the local workforce board for a 13‑county region, described federal grants including the Good Jobs Challenge and Apprenticeship Building America awards, and previewed plans to expand career hubs, a youth hub and apprenticeship intermediaries.
Mel Stewart, CEO of Nevada Works, told the Washoe County commission on April 28 that the regional workforce board is using federal funding and several grants to expand job placement, youth services and apprenticeship supports across 13 counties.
Stewart said WIOA federal funding forms the backbone of local workforce operations but is insufficient alone; Nevada Works has supplemented those dollars with competitive grants, including a Good Jobs Challenge award and a four‑year, $4 million Apprenticeship Building America grant aimed at employer‑driven apprenticeship readiness and intermediary services. Stewart said one Good Jobs target was 650 placements and Nevada Works has exceeded 900 placements so far with additional leveraged funds.
He described physical career and business hubs in Reno (Reno Town Mall) and Sparks (planned Adi District site) and said a new youth hub (for ages 16–24) will provide targeted space and supports. Stewart outlined employer partnerships, an updated virtual referral/tracking system, industry‑sector partnerships (including a lithium‑life‑cycle sector tied to the UNR Tech Hub), and programs targeting disconnected youth and healthcare workforce pipelines.
Commissioners asked about barriers clients face; Stewart cited transportation, child care and access to services and said the hub and referral approach aims to provide a "no wrong door" system to connect people to training, supports and employers.
The presentation was informational; commissioners thanked Nevada Works for local coordination on workforce development and grant leveraging.
