The 5th Annual Existing Industry Awards were held last evening and we recognized the 55 nominees that were competing for top honors. All of them have made amazing contributions to the community and we appreciate their investment in our region, and the jobs they provide. Thank you for nominating companies, attending the event, and supporting the existing primary companies in our region! Here are the winners!

The BR&E team visited 10 companies in September. The majority of companies visited continue to report current or future growth. The top concern for many is the availability of workers and skilled talent. The connections with education and service providers are becoming more and more important in order to develop a bench of employees with the knowledge and skills to fill open positions.

Based on a report by Pew Research Center, “The shifting economic landscape is reshaping work and society and affecting the way people think about the skills and training they need to get ahead.” Per the report, the new analysis shows that the job categories with the highest growth tend to require higher social skills, analytical savvy, and technical prowess. For the full story and more great insights into the economic outlook subscribe to RCG Economics’  weekly Fact Pack.

The Workforce Development team will be attending the Society for Women Engineers conference in Philadelphia which is the world’s largest conference and career fair for women in engineering and technology. The goal is to promote the region as a great place to pursue an engineering education and career.

October is Manufacturing Month and we have a fun activity where you can win a gift card for coffee! 10th month, 10 Gift Cards, $10.00 each! Test your skills and knowledge of what is being manufactured in northern Nevada here. We will pick 10 lucky winners who have 24 correct answers. Deadline is October 31st, so start your scavenger hunt now. Email your result to Nancy McCormick at mccormick@edawn.org

EDAWN is partnering with WCSD to lead the 4th of 5 WCSD tours to engage educators with the New Nevada economy. The tour hosts 150 educators from the Office of Academics,  who support the teachers in the classrooms. The participants will tour high-tech logistics warehouses and advanced manufacturing plants to see the new types of higher-paying jobs, and skills that are needed and growing in our community.

2016 Nevada Workforce Innovation Grant is new and has a request for proposal until October 21, 2016. The goal is to grow the impact of successful, innovative programs that are actively reducing barriers for youth, adults, and the re-entry population to access training, skills, and employment.

Biggest Little Employee Tip: A new study shows that the benefits of investing in employee tuition as an employee benefit goes beyond recruitment and retention. For every dollar the company puts into the program, an additional $1.29 in savings is generated. This is a 129 percent return on investment. In addition, employees who took advantage of ERP achieved 43 percent higher incremental wage gains. Read more here.

The Year of STEM Education

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

2016 STEM Challenge Grant request for proposal is open until December 21, 2016. This grant sparks the creation of lasting partnerships between industry and workforce training providers, resulting in sustainable training programs that provide in-demand, industry-recognized STEM skills to training recipients and lead to full-time jobs in STEM industries. For more information go here.

This is the year of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)- Governor Sandoval and The Office of Science, Innovation and  Technology (OSIT) launched the Year of STEM along with the Nevada Stem Hub website in September. The website’s goal is to collect and share STEM information throughout our state to help students, parents, educators, businesses and community members better understand STEM and the opportunities a STEM education offers. Learn about the careers that are available for those with STEM Skills, access STEM resources and events, become a corporate partner and promote STEM in Nevada by clicking the image below.