Job training center coming to Las Vegas’ Historic Westside community

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A job training center is coming to Las Vegas’ Historic Westside, and the president of the College of Southern Nevada said the goal is to help all students access financial aid for a free education to work in growing fields.

The Historic Westside Education and Training Center, being built by the City of Las Vegas and CSN, will help train around 300 students a year in the following fields: healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology and construction. Courses can last as little as six months.

The facility is set to be completed in 2025. The City will maintain and run the facility and CSN will manage the programs.

Advanced manufacturing is the fastest-growing field in Southern Nevada, according to CSN President Federico Zaragoza, and the field of healthcare continues to have high demand for workers.

“The Las Vegas economy is diversifying,” Zaragoza said. “CSN has to be in communities where there’s a high need. We need to be able to take our services there to create the bridges to ongoing higher education and possibly direct entry into the workforce. We’re very excited about going right into the neighborhoods where our neighbors are,” Zaragoza said.

According to DETR, while the unemployment rate of the Las Vegas Valley hovers at 5.2%, the zip code for the Historic Westside—89106—is around 10.4%. Nearby zip code 89107 has an unemployment rate of 7.1% and 89108 has a rate of 9.3%.

“100% of the tuition, we believe, will be covered through financial aid. it’s very important not to let the tuition be a barrier. We’ve got plenty of resources that will be available for all students,” Zaragoza said, as any and all prospective students can walk in and find out what careers and educational opportunities are available.

Community partners like the Obodo Collective tell FOX5, the need is great in the community for more options for employment. Tameka Henry and the Collective help distribute fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm off C Street to neighbors in the “food desert,” or neighborhoods lacking access to grocery stores. Giveaways happen on Saturdays at the farm.

“The pandemic: a lot of people are still recovering and bouncing back from that. Affordable housing is such an issue here. When you’re working with individuals who are on fixed incomes, they are always going to have needs such as getting access to food, to supplement what they currently have,” Henry said. “I do work with a lot of individuals who are not just looking for a handout, they’re looking for a hand up. They want to work. They want to be able to find jobs where they can have livable livable wages, to be able to take care of themselves and their families,” she said.

“Having it right here in their own community, it kind of relaxes that transportation barrier. It‘s just important for this area because it’s time for us to be uplifted,” Henry said.

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