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Culinary training helps tackle Nevada’s high unemployment

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LaTasha Fobbs, third from left, sits with other graduates and instructors during the Class of Winter 2023 graduation ceremony at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas on January 19.
Photo: Steve Marcus

On the third Thursday of the year, the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas held a graduation for 116 students, all newly certified in the sorts of hospitality skills that keep the city’s resorts running.

Wearing caps and gowns while smiling for photos, the graduates had just completed training programs for bussing, serving, bartending and cooking. The programs, some which utilize hotel room simulators, are designed to prepare them for day one on the job. And through the academy’s partnerships with 37 employer properties, it’s not a far leap from getting certified to landing a job.

LaTasha Fobbs, who just completed a three-week housekeeping certification program, says she’s “already hired” at a hotel on the Strip, and feels ready to work in the new “extravagant” surroundings. During a graduation speech for classmates, friends and family, she delivered a message of inspiration.

“This is hard work. … They said [it would be], in the training. But if you keep going, you can do it. Don’t give up,” she said. “Even if you have to refocus yourself, redirect yourself … to succeed in life.”

Since going through a divorce and moving to Las Vegas in 2021, the 49-year-old Oakland transplant and her two sons, 18 and 22, have been dealing with homelessness and “trying to get ahead,” Fobbs tells the Weekly.

“My son ended up getting into a homeless shelter for teens. And they were blessed to get an apartment,” she says, pointing out her sons Nehemiah and Tyrell in the audience. “They’re my whys. They’re why I get up, why I keep going, why I strive, why I persevere. They’re my life.”

While attending a hiring event hosted by MGM Resorts—one of the largest employers of Nevadans—she spotted a job that she wanted, and found out she’d need to take a housekeeping certification course, to land it.

LaTasha Fobbs with sons Nehemiah, left, and Tyrell at the Class of Winter 2023 graduation ceremony at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas.

“The program helped me, not only with transportation, but also with clothing, shoes … uniforms,” she says, adding that it also offers assistance with child care for qualifying students who need it. “[They] make sure they can get you to the next level.”

When Fobbs becomes eligible for further training through the academy in six months, she plans to learn new skills to advance her career. “I’m definitely coming back for cooking on my days off,” she says. “I’d like to open up Tashi’s Deli, one day.”

The Culinary Academy, a labor-management trust of the local Culinary and Bartenders Unions, hosts graduations on a quarterly basis. The academy offers 15 training programs ranging from three to 17 weeks.

It’s one example of employment programs helping Southern Nevada’s still-recovering jobs market.

According to a January 24 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nevada started 2023 with the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.2%. December marked the third month in a row that the unemployment rate has increased, after at least 21 consecutive months of decrease.

Clark County unemployment sits above the statewide average, with a current rate of 5.4%.

Ana Puljic, the Culinary Academy’s executive director of institutional partnerships and program development, says the organization has been working on “a few initiatives” to help fill vacancies in the lagging hospitality sector.

“An initiative that is really working well for the employers and us is where the employer will select an individual and pay them while they’re in training,” Puljic explains, adding that the academy works with “nearly all” Strip properties to fill vacancies.

Like Fobbs, 85% of students qualify for financial assistance through programs with their employer partners or similar grants, so they don’t have to pay out of pocket for their training. Puljic says the academy also “works very closely” with state employment agencies like EmployNV, which can assist students with training and job placement.

The result of those wraparound services and coordinated efforts? A 93% employment rate among graduates, a spokesperson for the academy says.

David Schmidt, chief economist with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), emphasizes that employment growth remains “relatively high” compared to 2021. He also says the increase in unemployment could be attributed to workers re-entering the workforce.

“Annual job growth remains … at 3.8 percent but is moderating with a slight decline from November’s peak,” Schmidt said in a January statement. “The unemployment rate rose above 5 percent, and is likely to remain one of the highest rates in the country. … The labor force participation rate also increased, suggesting that workers continue to re-enter the workforce.”

Those comments came after DETR in July celebrated an “all-time high” of jobs in the state since the pandemic. In a press release from the governor’s office, Schmidt said the net increase in jobs was a reflection of “the growing diversification of the state’s economy,” while pointing out that the leisure and hospitality sector was still lagging some 30,000 jobs behind pre-pandemic numbers.

Getting those numbers righted will not only help the economy recover but also bring a new sense of purpose to those looking for a fresh start. Speaking at the podium for her graduating class, Fobbs spoke about taking pride in a job well done.

“Before I came [to the academy], I worked at a gas station and a call center. And I needed something different,” she said. “No matter what you’re doing, whether that’s bartending or guest room attending, you have to be the best at what you do. … You have to have standards.”

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Shannon Miller

Shannon Miller joined Las Vegas Weekly in early 2022 as a staff writer. Since 2016, she has gathered a smorgasbord ...

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