By 2019, that question had become a priority. Then came COVID-19, reaffirming the urgency to act.
Southern Nevada had long depended on a thriving tourism industry, but as the global health crisis shuttered leisure and hospitality venues — which accounted for nearly 25 percent of jobs statewide — the region faced unprecedented job loss.
For already underserved communities, the blow was even harder. Unemployment and underemployment soared, compounding economic wounds that had not fully healed in the years after the Great Recession more than a decade earlier.
These realities drove CSN to action. The college partnered with the city of Las Vegas to plan and fund training centers where residents could build marketable skills across a range of fields.
One example is the Historic Westside Education and Training Center — a $16.4 million, 15,000-square-foot facility that opened last year. The center offers CSN-taught classes and credentialed job training programs in advanced manufacturing, health care, technology and construction trades, as well as skills workshops in digital literacy, typing, Microsoft Office applications and English as a second language.
CSN President Stacy Klippenstein said the training center had already welcomed hundreds of students, calling it "essential for the revitalization of the Historic Westside." Training centers are also planned for east Las Vegas and the Medical District.
"With these projects, they very much warm my heart," he said.
Klippenstein recalled how the initiatives were detailed during his interview for the position — and the passion from other leaders in the room was unmistakable.
"It wasn't just about the projects, it was really about the collaboration with the city; it was really about trying to do something different for our individuals; it was really about trying to take something out into the streets," he said.
A second facility, the Eastside Education and Training Center, is planned as part of a city-led redevelopment project on the former Desert Pines Golf Course at Bonanza and Pecos roads — a development that will also include low-income housing and space for small businesses. The center is expected to offer skills training in advanced manufacturing, health care, logistics, information technology, construction and HVAC, with a projected opening of September 2027.
CSN's involvement was approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents this month, and the momentum wasn't lost on those in the room. "I also think this speaks volumes for the fact that it literally feels like less than a year ago we were breaking ground on the Westside, and we already are trying to duplicate those efforts," Regent Heather Brown said. "My only question is, how can we build like 10 more of these?"
The third project is a training center in the Las Vegas Medical District, situated on city-owned land off Charleston Boulevard. The planned 30,000-square-foot building would offer entry-level, short-term training programs in medical support roles — including medical assisting, nursing and phlebotomy — and is deliberately positioned at the heart of the Medical District to improve access for both students and the surrounding hospitals, clinics and medical offices where graduates could seek employment.
The four-story building's design reflects the breadth of its mission: a full-service child care center would occupy the first floor, with the remaining three stories dedicated to classrooms, laboratories and CSN faculty offices.
Klippenstein said the child care component was designed to remove a barrier for single parents, giving them a safe place for their children while they studied or attended classes. He added that the training center would be in or adjacent to neighborhoods with the "highest unemployment rates across various demographics and much lower than average workforce participant rates, especially among women."
To fund the project, CSN submitted a grant application to the Economic Development Administration last month seeking nearly $11.5 million. The city of Las Vegas has already committed $17 million toward development and agreed to absorb any additional construction costs, according to a briefing paper sent to regents.
Up to $3 million in equipment, faculty and other items necessary for operations will be provided by CSN.
Mayor Pro Tem Brian Knudsen, whose Ward 1 district encompasses the Medical District, has long championed improved health care access in the city. His commitment is rooted in personal experience — extended hospital stays with one of his children gave him an up-close look at the challenges facing health care professionals, where he heard consistent calls for more trained staff and support services like child care.
As the Medical District continues to grow, Knudsen said the city must lean on higher education institutions to train the next generation of health care professionals — a pipeline he views as essential to improving quality of life and diversifying the local economy.
"This is something that is of the utmost importance," Knudsen said. "While we went about investing in the infrastructure of the Medical District, I quickly realized that we weren't going to be able to improve access and quality of health care without investing heavily in higher education. I'm really, really proud of the (training center) because it does offer that opportunity for those certificates and those associate degree programs who are ultimately desperately needed in the health care field, and we want to grow the Medical District to be the training ground for all health care professionals in Nevada."
© 2026 the Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas, Nev.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
