The UNLV Center for Workforce Development and Research was recently awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant was awarded through the Competitive Training Grants Program and is designed to prepare America 's security force, both public and private, to respond to a terrorist incident.

The funding will be used to create and implement a train the trainer program for security professionals and will concentrates on the areas of prevention, deterrence, response and recovery. Participants will leave the training with skills, knowledge and material to train others in their organization.

UNLV's Institute for Security Studies, established in 2002, will serve as a resource to identify subject matter experts.

Dedicated to providing professional development and customized training services to the workforce and education communities, the Center for Workforce Development and Research has served incumbent workers, educators, and employers since 1999 primarily through grant funding sources. Center founder and Executive Director Sterling Saddler is an associate professor for workforce education in the Department of Educational Leadership in the College of Education and will serve as principle investigator for the project.

The grant was the idea of Paul W. Papa, an undergraduate student in Workforce Education and a security professional. Papa drafted the grant with the assistance of Melissa Scott, director of projects/operations at the center.