FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gregory Bortolin,
Director of Communications
grbortolin@goed.nv.gov (775) 687-9917
May 17, 2023
CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has awarded Great Basin College (GBC) $99,741.77 through its Workforce Innovations for a New Nevada (WINN) fund to support the expansion of its Instrumentation Technology program in Winnemucca.
“GBC received strong support from vital industry partners and demonstrated a commitment to developing the workforce in and around Winnemucca,” said Stacey Bostwick, GOED’s Director of Workforce Development. “This program supports instrumentation career positions where there are currently more than 60 job openings in the region.”
GBC has received federal Perkins funding to support the hiring of a full-time instructor for this program. Students must complete the two-semester Electrical Systems Technology Certificate of Achievement or an Associate of Applied Science degree to apply for the two-semester Instrumentation Technology Certificate of Achievement. GOED ranks Instrumentation Technology 13th overall on Nevada’s list of high demand occupations. Students with an instrumentation certificate can plan to earn on average wage of $25.54 per hour, while students who secure of Bachelor of Applied Science will earn on average $43.43 per hour. The mining industry has a high demand for instrumentation technicians. As of 2020, an average of 17,937 instrumentation positions were available in Nevada.
“Our community and the greater region view this as a critical piece in workforce development for rural Nevada and the industries that provide the economic backbone of our communities,” said Michelle Hammond Allen, from Nevada 95-80 Regional Development Authority. “This program enables us to train our local workforce, as well as create a mechanism to draw in additional workforce, all to fulfill an identified gap for economic growth. Great Basin College’s desire and ability to respond paired with GOED’s drive to facilitate innovative, strategic partnerships is a giant WIN for Nevada.”
GBC’s funding application received endorsements from several regional employers including West Coast Salmon, Nevada Gold Mines, Lithium Americas, i-80 Gold Corp, and Cyanco.
“Instrumentation Technology graduates can expect to be hired on to positions at Nevada Gold Mines such as Instrumentation/Electrical Technicians, Planners, and positions in leadership,” said Alissa Wood, Head of Communities and Corporate Affairs at Barrick North America. “We currently employ over 200 roles related to instrumentation and average over 50 openings that need to be filled at any time.”
The program is housed in the new William N. Pennington Health Science and Technology Building on the Winnemucca campus where there is a 1,623-square-foot shop for the Electrical Systems Technology Program. Sam Spearing, GBC’s Workforce and Mining Center of Excellence Director, said support from GOED, other state agencies and industry partners was critical to the development of effective workforce training opportunities in rural Nevada.
“Great Basin has given me the opportunity as a student from Lovelock to further my education,” said Christopher Schneider, GBC student. “I have built my confidence, my knowledge, and my relationships with my peers who I now call my friends. Without Winnemucca, I wouldn’t have the chance to use these materials to build my life with.”
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About the Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Created during the 2011 session of the Nevada Legislature, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is the result of a collaborative effort between the Nevada Legislature and the Governor’s Office to restructure economic development in the state. GOED’s role is to promote a robust, diversified and prosperous economy in Nevada, to stimulate business expansion and retention, encourage entrepreneurial enterprise, attract new businesses and facilitate community development.