Grant aimed at retraining workers for manufacturing

Nevadans who have been laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic can be retrained at no cost to work in high-demand manufacturing careers with a federal grant from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

The Manufacturing Technician Express Online Certification Prep is a new program offered through Western Nevada College in partnership with Empower America; Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Nevada Industry Excellence.

The Manufacturing Technician Express online certification preparation will retrain people for a high-demand position with manufacturing companies throughout Nevada.

Students will gain foundational knowledge of the fundamental skills needed in advanced manufacturing, including math and measurement, quality and lean concepts and an introduction to manufacturing processes.

Problem-solving strategies are developed while learning about simple machines and industrial systems through practice with computer and web-based tools.

In the second half of the training, students may have the opportunity to interview for hundreds of jobs with companies throughout Nevada that have job openings, including Panasonic Energy of North America and Sierra Nevada Corporation.

The program includes two self-paced, online college courses offered through the Automation and Industrial Technology Center at Western Nevada College.

Students successfully completing the coursework will have the opportunity to earn their nationally recognized Manufacturing Technician Level 1 certification though three industry certification exams. The first course, AIT 101: Fundamentals of Applied Industrial Technology, is offered Oct. 12-Dec. 18.

The second course, AIT-200: Applied Industrial Technology Projects, is offered Oct. 26-Dec. 18.

The program requires basic computer skills and computer access with high-speed internet, and to be eligible for free training, people need to be Nevada residents with a high school diploma or equivalency.

The Manufacturing Technician Certification is endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers.

In Northern Nevada, interested people can get more information and learn if they qualify for the retraining grant by contacting Aubrey Nelson of the Community Services Agency at 775-786-6023, ext. 1021 or anelson@csareno.org

In Southern Nevada, interested people can get more information and learn if they qualify for the retraining grant by contacting Nevada Career Center.

For Laughlin, Henderson, Boulder City and south Las Vegas, contact Pamela Acevedo at 702-971-1365 or pacevedo@nvcareercenter.org.

For Mesquite, and north and east Las Vegas, contact Michael Wilson, 702-971-1411 or mwilson@nvcareercenter.org.

For southwest Las Vegas, contact Aura Ortiz, 702-902-0481 or aortiz@nvcareercenter.org