FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Evan Haddad
Public Information Officer
ehaddad@goed.nv.gov 775.684.9973
April 16, 2025
Frenstat Pod Radhostem, Czech Republic – The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), in collaboration with the Aspen Institute Central Europe, led highly successful workshops as part of the institute’s young leaders program.
The Institute’s Annual Young Leaders Program, which took place from April 3-6, convened emerging leaders from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary to explore how technology, innovation, and shared purpose can bridge workforce gaps in an era shaped by automation and global change. Taking center stage was Nevada’s groundbreaking Individual Career Mapping (ICM) model, which is aimed at equipping young professionals across Central Europe with future-ready tools and insights.
Nevada’s participation was made possible through the visionary leadership of Jakub Landovský, executive director of Aspen Institute Central Europe, and the stewardship of Jana Neupauerová, who created an ideal platform for meaningful global exchange and innovation.
“Having the Individual Career Mapping workshop brought engagement about the labor market to the Young Leaders’ discussions and inspired important conversations,” said Landovský. “We truly appreciate the way you engaged with the entire program – with openness, curiosity, and generosity. Your presence helped create the unique atmosphere that makes this program so special.”
“We look forward to continuing our connections,” Neupauerová said.
As part of GOED’s Innovation-Based Economic Development strategy, the ICM methodology has been developed to present a scalable approach to career navigation and skills-building. The librarian-in-residence elevates the professional development of library staff and patrons’ understanding of the labor market and fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between workforce professionals and the communities that libraries serve.
The ICM residency was first rolled out at the Carson City Library and North Las Vegas Library District.
“ICM is now being adopted in libraries, schools, and workforce systems across Nevada, and has been gaining increasing national and international recognition,” said Carson City Library Director Joy Holt.
“We are deeply grateful to the Aspen Institute Central Europe and their outstanding team for providing this platform to share our Individual Career Mapping model, which continues to demonstrate how inclusive innovation can create lasting impact,” said Tammy Westergard, GOED’s senior workforce development librarian-in-residence who led the Nevada team. “Thanks to Aspen, we were able to reach a cohort of emerging European leaders who are deeply engaged with the future of work which is being shaped by AI, automation and demographic challenges.”
The GOED-developed ICM methodology integrates immersive virtual reality content of real-world work environments in health care, agriculture, technology, and manufacturing, as well as Career Readiness Assessments created by visionary Reno-based startup NCLab to empower job seekers to make informed career decisions.
“Helping young people visualize their future careers in a way that feels real and inspiring is why we do what we do,” said Mark Andersen, co-founder and president at Lifeliqe/Corinth which developed the virtual reality content in collaboration with a Nevada stakeholder. “To see our content used to connect Central European leaders with Nevada’s innovative workforce tools was incredibly meaningful for our Brno-based team.”
“It was incredibly exciting to see young leaders engaging with tools we developed in Nevada to promote global workforce resilience,” said Dr. Pavel Solin, NCLab’s founder and professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Without exception employers look for an aptitude to learn, apply new knowledge, and adapt and grow in the workplace. NCLab’s Career Readiness Assessment allows employers to reliably identify these traits in prospective new hires. On the other hand, it also helps individuals find out if a new career in modern tech is a good fit.”
A short video of the workshops can be viewed here.
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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.
About the Aspen Institute Central Europe and Annual Young Leaders Program
Connecting and inspiring people who want to improve society, the Aspen Institute Central Europe is an independent platform where representatives from politics, business and public institutions as well as personalities from the arts, sports and science meet. With the participation of figures from various disciplines, the Institute organizes public conferences, seminars, workshops and professional discussions.
The Young Leaders Program offers emerging young leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, or Slovakia the opportunity to improve their personal and professional skills as well as expand their private network while reflecting on what it means to be a good leader in today’s world.