Len Stevens is the CEO of the Northern Nevada Chamber of Commerce. He believes northern Nevada is lucky to have access to an incredible training program—the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center. For Len, Job Corps is “amazing!”

“The quality of work. The quality of participation and teaching to me was absolutely amazing. You see why this program is so valuable. Personally, I have brought a couple of automotive owners out here. And they have met with these young people and ended up having them as interns. And they have hired them, and they’re utilizing their skills. So the value is just absolutely amazing. We’ll continue to work on that and grow those partnerships because there’s a need now more than ever before.”

“There’s more to it at Job Corps than people can imagine. There’s a learning process. When you meet these people out here (students) it’s, ‘Yes sir, no sir’. They pay attention to detail. They also understand that other skills are necessary like presenting themselves, writing resumes, and doing things that aren’t happening out in the real world today. But the most important thing I see is the excitement of accomplishment.  These are kids, many of whom, didn’t finish school. They come back and accomplish something that was a goal at a younger age when they weren’t ready for it. Now, they have got that second chance, that second opportunity and they’re taking advantage of it. And when you sit through that graduation and see them finish, when the final day is done, and to know they have something to actually look forward to in terms of success—it’s just so rewarding to be a part of that.”