Providing students with work-based training, the Nevada Help Desk has started up an initiative for high schoolers so students can gain experience in technology-based fields.

With sessions available until November 2021, the program hopes to give students real certifications that can be useful in a job interview and application.

“The focus is supporting high school and college students of color (Black, Hispanic), females (historically, underrepresented in tech jobs), and individuals (underserved in our community) who financially and/or normally wouldn’t consider a career path in technology,” Snehal Bhakta, CTE administrator, said. “Since many tech jobs in the Southern Nevada area are unfulfilled, this helps us fill some of the gaps and make [the field] more accessible and diverse in doing so.”

Team members provide certifications for many fields such as web development, search engine optimization, social media marketing and management, content automation and e-commerce marketing. 

“It’s an afterschool, evening, weekend, and summer program of opportunities to gain this knowledge that they may not have access to at their school,” Bhakta said. “The flexibility of the program has helped train students for future high-wage, high-demand jobs of the future.”

The Nevada Help Desk staff team consists of Student Agents, all ranging from ages 16-22, and other teams, such as the A-Team and the Royal Tech Team. The Student Agents work directly with the students.

“We know that it could be hard to work with someone when there is a generational gap,” Bhakta said. “That’s why we tried to find people who would be a little younger. They can relate easier and they know how our students’ minds work.”

Students can sign up for the Nevada Help Desk training program and enroll anytime prior to November. 

“We are needed to make our local community aware of the opportunities available to students and to fill workforce gaps in technology jobs,” Bhakta said. “By providing hands-on training, real projects and certifications, students will be able to apply for those future jobs.”