Growing Our Own

Posted on February 28, 2007
Filed Under Education, Socially Responsible Recruiting, War for Talent |

Growing Our Own in Las Vegas

Most are aware of Recruiting Nevada’s commitment to build a stronger workforce through out-of-market recruiting and what we call “Socially Responsible Recruiting.”

However, the best long-term solution to correct Nevada’s shallow talent pool is to “grow our own.” A well educated and trained workforce is proven to be beneficial to any community. Just as with most areas, Nevada struggles in this area. Not because of desire, but because of unprecedented growth and lack of funding.

Nevada’s nursing shortage was addressed by the “Doubling of the Nursing Program” in the legislature in 1999, passed in 2001, but not funded until 2003. Doubling of the nursing programs is being discussed in Carson City again as our needs continue to grow. However, this still will not get Nevada to the point where we are self sufficient and growing “enough” of our own.

When Recruiting Nevada began to study Nevada’s nursing shortages back in 1999, we were astonished at how big of a supply-demand disparity existed. Nevada demanded over 800 nurses each year. Our educational infrastructure supplied just 332 new grad nurses, many who never entered the nursing profession in Nevada. This left a need to ‘import’ over 500 nurses each year from other markets (which was not being done until the creation of www.NVNurses.com).

Now, let me shed some light to the “teacher shortage” in comparison to nursing. This year the Clark County School District will need 3,800 teachers. Between UNLV and Nevada State College approximately 400 will be supplied. That leaves a demand for 3,400 teachers. Therefore, CCSD must go out of market to recruit teachers for Las Vegas. The gap for “growing our own” teachers is much larger than nurses, yet has not been adequately addressed.

I would like to introduce you to a new program that has been piloted and allows the business community to invest in its future workforce. It is called STEP-UP.

STEP-UP addresses the most fundamental, and critical, shortage Nevada faces – teachers. STEP-UP allows businesses to sponsor a current CCSD student to take classes in high school for college credit towards becoming a teacher. That coupled with the Millennium Scholarship allows Nevada to begin to grow our own.

The investment is nominal - just $1,000 per year. When Recruiting Nevada sponsored a student last year, we were even given a picture and bio of the student we sponsored. We can communicate and coach the student. It is a great feeling.

Recently Citicorp STEP(ped)-UP and donated $15,000 towards books for the STEP-UP program. This is a great start, but there is a long way to go.

So what does a business get for their investment?

A better educated workforce in the future. There are over 300,000 students enrolled in the Clark County School District today. That is Nevada’s future. Maybe not now, but in a few years they will be your workforce.

Please consider STEP-UP. You can contact myself or Bob Inman at 702-898-9000, Ext. 202 to learn more.