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North Las Vegas library to pilot GOED’s Individual Career Mapping at Dolores Huerta Resource Center
Summary
The North Las Vegas Library District will host an Individual Career Mapping (ICM) pilot at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center beginning April 3, offering VR career ‘field trips,’ assessments and pathways to industry-recognized credentials such as the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate.
The North Las Vegas Library District and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) will launch a pilot of the Individual Career Mapping program at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center next month, presenters told trustees on March 24.
“For the record, my name is Tammy Westergaard … and we’re here to do 2 things: 1st, to briefly ground you in the individual career mapping program, what it is and why it matters, and 2nd, to show you how the North Las Vegas leadership has already come together to launch the work at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center,” Tammy Westergaard of GOED said. Presenters said recruitment for the first cohort is underway and the pilot cohort is scheduled to begin April 3.
Presenters described ICM as a three-part approach that combines immersive virtual reality career “field trips,” an assessment of an individual’s career readiness and handoffs to training providers. Carson Huys, senior director of innovation and strategic programs at GOED, said the model addresses personal circumstances, Nevada’s sector shifts, demographic changes and rapid technology developments.
“Each field trip is about 3 to 4 minutes long, and it's been [an] immersive experience where an individual can be in the workspace,” a project presenter said, explaining the VR component. The team said GOED has produced 53 focused VR field trips that reflect Nevada’s in-demand sectors, including advanced manufacturing, health care, IT, logistics and skilled trades.
Jahidi Rivera, GOED’s North Las Vegas library-district workforce librarian in residence, described on-the-ground implementation: the center’s operator (Just One Project) provides community trust and outreach, staff will be trained to operate headsets, and the program materials — including social media and outreach — are available in Spanish, with partners such as Telemundo helping outreach.
Program leaders said participants can earn baseline credentials through the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys) and that training providers commonly offer tuition assistance. Trustee Acosta asked about cohort size; presenters said pilot cohorts will be capped at about 10–15 participants to allow hands-on VR facilitation and staff training.
The board did not take formal action on the pilot during the meeting. Presenters said they will return with an update roughly eight weeks after the April 3 launch.
