SkillsMatch program aims to get Nevadans back to work

In an effort to help Nevadans who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation are using CARES Act funding to make the Emsi SkillsMatch tool available for those seeking to get back into the job market.

“The SkillsMatch software platform will help people identify which employment skills they have and perhaps more importantly, help them identify which skills they need to obtain to become more employable in today’s job market,” said Michael Brown, GOED executive director.

The Nevada SkillsMatch tool is free and available at www.nv.emsiskills.com. It is not a job board, but it can be used to connect individuals to jobs that meet their qualifications. The SkillsMatch tool helps individuals understand career and education opportunities that may be a good fit with past experience.

“Even before the pandemic, there was a major disconnect in the labor market: employers, training providers and jobseekers were all speaking a different language,” said Isla Young, OWINN senior program development and engagement specialist. “The result is people weren’t getting the training they needed for the jobs they wanted, and employers weren’t finding the talent they needed. With hundreds of thousands of Nevada residents now out of work, solving this disconnect is even more pressing.”

Skills provide the common language for these three groups. Emsi will use the language of skills to connect displaced workers with training or job opportunities based on their skills.

The SkillsMatch platform quickly audits a person’s experience and training and couples it with their career goals. With this information, SkillsMatch identifies their existing skills, the training needed to fill any skills gaps and the local job opportunities to get them back on their desired career path.

To do this, Emsi is working closely with the university and community college systems and local workforce boards to develop skills-based training and education. The result is alignment of the skills being taught with the skills being sought.

“Skills are the best indicator of a person’s ability to perform and excel in each role,” said Stacey Bostwick, GOED director of workforce development. “They are also what employers are seeking when hiring individuals. They are thus the most efficient way to get Nevada residents back to work.

“People are more than the title of their last job. This partnership will harness their host of abilities and education to connect them to either the training they need or the job they want based on their skills.”