Where Nevada once provided opportunities to find good-paying jobs without an education, that is no longer true, says Dennis Bonilla, executive dean of the College of Information Systems and Technology at University of Phoenix.
"I think people are realizing there’s no easy way to stay relevant, without you doing something to keep yourself relevant," Bonilla said. The days of a 'gravy train' job market where a parking valet could do well are gone, he added.
"How do we get more people engaged and intertwine learning and development at the same time," says Javier Mendez, director of human resources at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "Knowing that there is going to be a skills gap, we are now reaching out to local community colleges and also RedFlint, and other organizations so that we can build our employees from blue collar and hopefully convert them to white collar in the near future."
RedFlint is a business incubator, community education center and accelerator for startups in Las Vegas that is owned by the University of Phoenix.