Carson City, NV…Today, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced he has set aside up to $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars toward the goal to explore ways to make community college or other apprentice and training programs free for more Nevadans by 2025.

The Governor announced his intention during his State of the State address and tasked the Workforce Development Committee to explore ways to make community college or other apprentice and training programs free for more Nevadans by 2025. The Governor’s commitment builds upon existing programs, like the Nevada Promise Scholarship, which allows certain Nevada high school graduates to attend community colleges in the State at a substantially discounted cost.

The federal funding, as set aside from the Governor, will help kickstart any initial recommendations from the committee while they work toward the larger goal of making these programs free for more Nevadans by 2025.

“We know that skills training is essential to our workers and businesses,” the Governor said during the speech. “A high school education isn’t enough, and we should recognize that it’s no longer “pre-school through grade 12,” but at least “pre-school through community college or other post high school training.”

The committee – chaired by Dr. Melody Rose, Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education – was formed after the 2021 Legislative Session with the intent of aligning workforce training and programs offered by community colleges in Nevada to ensure that Nevadans are trained and ready for the demands of the current workforce.

Any funding plans put forward by the committee to help achieve this goal must fall into the rules and regulations as laid out by the federal law. The committee may also make additional community college funding recommendations for the next legislative session.

More information on the committee can be found here: https://nshe.nevada.edu/leadership-policy/administration/public-affairs-and-advancement/ccwtp-committee/