FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carli Smith
Director of Communications
c.smith@goed.nv.gov
November 13, 2026
CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced the publication of a third international research paper on Individual Career Mapping (ICM), a methodology developed in Nevada that combines emerging technologies with trained human Navigators to strengthen labor market literacy. The work reflects sustained investment in tools, people and partnerships through GOED’s Innovation Based Economic Development (IBED) division.
Published November 9 in the ICERI2026 proceedings, “Why Individual Career Mapping Works: Measuring the Human-Technology Loop Layered Return on Investment in Labor Market Literacy,” examines how the methodology supports learning and builds lasting public capacity. ICERI2026, the International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, took place November 9–11 in Seville, Spain. “There was great interest in the program. In particular, two professors who are particularly active in creating employment opportunities for students, spoke with me at great length after the presentation,” said Teddy Pitofsky, ICM Intern.
Labor market literacy is the ability to find, understand and use information about occupations, skills, wages, training pathways and local demand. ICM makes unfamiliar work visible through virtual reality and connects exploration with assessment, skill development and a career plan. A human Navigator supports every stage, helping participants interpret what they learn and identify a practical next step.
“As a librarian, I see labor market literacy as the ability to ask better questions about work, understand the information you find and use it to make a decision,” said Tammy Westergard, GOED’s Senior Workforce Development Librarian-in-Residence, former Nevada State Librarian and ICM program lead. “This is a place for libraries to lead. We bring trusted guidance, technology and local knowledge together so people can explore unfamiliar careers and take an informed next step.”
Westergard also serves on the Northwest Regional Work Ready Community Task Force. ICM’s 2026–2027 school cohorts are part of the broader effort to strengthen workforce readiness and help Nevada communities progress toward ACT’s Work Ready Community certification.
The ICM was initially funded by a $1,559,500 Nevada Attorney General T-Mobile settlement award that enabled the program’s expanded implementation through staffing, Navigator training, community deployment, new content and evaluation. Continued funding from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) is carrying the work forward.
“Our strategy in IBED has been consistent, make each investment strengthen ecosystem components and/or close gaps,” said Karsten Heise, who is heading GOED’s Innovation Based Economic Development division (IBED). “Federal support established tools and partnerships, Attorney General funding expanded the infrastructure and trained Navigator network, and DETR’s support carries that momentum forward. IBED is a laboratory that facilitates active innovation of programs and initiatives which exemplifies how we developed the ICM. connects libraries, schools, workforce partners and emerging technologies, around the person, with human guidance that helps Nevadans understand career opportunities and take an informed next step.”
The final evaluation of the AG-funded phase, dated September 30, documents 50 trained Navigators and 5,110 meaningful introductions to ICM. The AG investment also funded the creation of 17 new virtual reality field trips focused on mining and critical minerals, available in English and Spanish. Together, the investments have built reusable content, technology, local expertise and partnerships that can serve successive cohorts.
Among participants with matched assessments, average labor market literacy scores increased from 12.68 to 18.11 out of 27, a gain of approximately 43 percent. Navigator support was the highest-rated program component, receiving a 93.8 percent favorable rating among 64 participant survey respondents.
The 95 participants in the AG-funded phase who completed all three WorkKeys workplace skills assessments, 90 earned the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a 94.7 percent attainment rate. Of those 90 credential earners, 70, or 77.8 percent, achieved Silver or higher, above the results in ACT’s published cumulative Nevada and national certificate totals, 72.8 percent and 74.3 percent, respectively.
Early ICM research identified an exploratory association between problem-solving scores on NCLab’s Career Readiness Assessment and NCRC performance. Its hands-on challenges examine problem solving, abstract reasoning, attention to detail and perseverance. With a trained Navigator, participants can interpret those results alongside NCRC scores and their own experience to understand more precisely how they approach new tasks, recognize learning strengths and identify where practice or support could help.
DETR’s continued investment will expand access to ICM services and Navigator support for approximately 125 students during the 2026-27 school year. “We are thrilled to enable the addition of workplace practicums that simulate careers in healthcare, manufacturing and HVAC,” said Christopher Sewell, DETR Director. “This partnership ensures that the systems, resources and trained Navigators already in place continue creating opportunities for students across Nevada.”
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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 DETR
The Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR) is the state’s lead workforce development department. It consists of divisions that offer workforce related services, job placement and training, services for people with disabilities, investigation of claims of discrimination, unemployment insurance benefits, labor market data and more. Many of these services are provided through EmployNV and in cooperation with its community partners.