Nevada

Mining and energy are primary industries in many rural areas in Nevada.  Metals are the largest export from the state — in fact, nearly 75% of all gold produced in the United States is mined in Nevada.  The state also ranks third in solar energy production per capita in the United States. With the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory, Tesla’s Gigafactory 1, expected to open in Storey County in 2016, the state anticipates that lithium mining in Nevada will expand rapidly to supply the facility. 

Yet in Nevada, many high-wage jobs often go unfilled due to the lack of technically qualified applicants, particularly in the booming energy and mining fields. Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno is helping fill the gap. With assistance from a $2.25 million EDA grant, Truckee Meadows began construction in 2014 on the Applied Technology Center.  The Center will provide a wide variety of programs, including clean energy (geothermal, wind and solar), advanced mining, materials and manufacturing, and logistics industries — preparing the next generation of Nevadans for the these new and emerging industries.