Center will offer STEM training for adults in North Las Vegas

A science, technology, engineering and mathematics center is being developed in North Las Vegas to offer educational opportunities to the public.

The hub, known as the Choice Neighborhood STEM Center of Excellence, will be at Nevada Partners, 690 W. Lake Mead Blvd., east of Martin Luther King Boulevard. It will offer training in areas such as solar energy, drones, 3D printing and hydroponics.

“The end goal of this is to have people get the skill sets to get jobs,” said Jim Haye, neighborhood services coordinator for North Las Vegas.

Rick Damian, manager of housing and neighborhood services for the city, said the center will help people who may otherwise not be able to afford STEM training elsewhere. Training opportunities will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to people, regardless of whether they live in North Las Vegas.

The program is a partnership among North Las Vegas, Nevada Partners and Growing Gears, a local company that will install the infrastructure and conduct the training.

Startup costs for the program, about $800,000, are being paid for by a federal grant. After that, the program is expected to cost about $240,000 per year to operate.

The money was originally supposed to be spent on renovating a building in downtown North Las Vegas to become a new library for the city. A fire last summer damaged the building, forcing the city to cancel the project.

Officials are planning to have the center open by the fall.