Uniondale, NY (January 30, 2023) – Global resort developer Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) and Nassau Community College (NCC) of the State University of New York have agreed in principle for the college to become the primary employee training center for a proposed Sands resort located near the campus. The college is renowned for its associate’s degrees, certificates and workforce development programs in diverse fields of study, including hospitality, culinary arts, business, humanities, theater and technology. The collaboration, which will include an internship and experiential learning component for NCC students, would support sustainable job growth and economic development on Long Island and throughout the New York metropolitan region.
The public-private initiative would be contingent on the Sands being successful in securing the opportunity to develop a multi-billion-dollar resort complex on the site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
“The creation of a new industry with thousands of jobs in multiple sectors is a tremendous opportunity not only for our students but for the diverse populations we serve as a community college,” said Dr. Maria Conzatti, acting president of Nassau Community College. “Enhancing our curriculum with training programs, mentorship, and internship opportunities in conjunction with an industry leader like Sands, provides an opportunity for adult students, career changers, and all community members to be placed on successful career paths.”
Sands has a long history of partnering with educational organizations, investing to build a strong local workforce, and advancing the skills of the hospitality industry in the communities it calls home. The company’s hospitality education initiatives span contributions to higher education institutions, scholarship programs, on-property and industry-supported training opportunities for students and hospitality professionals, and mentorship support from company leaders and experts.
“Our company has a strong track record of partnering with a variety of educational organizations to put people on pathways to success in the hospitality industry and help them build the skills they need to increase their earning power. We are making the same commitment to the Long Island community and have an excellent partner with an aligned vision to do so in working with Nassau Community College. We look forward to investing in people with any skill set or background who have a desire to be part of this exciting new industry planned for Long Island,” said Robert G. Goldstein, Sands’ chairman and chief executive officer.
The collaboration between Sands and Nassau Community College would lead to programs in hotel and casino management, security and surveillance, meetings and banquets, entertainment, and food and beverage. Sands and Nassau Community College will explore a variety of learning models that have been utilized at the company’s resorts around the world.
“The college’s programs are designed to educate individuals for a wide-range of jobs in current and emerging fields,” said Dr. Genette Alvarez-Ortiz, acting vice president of academic affairs at Nassau Community College. “We offer excellent programs for particular skill areas such as food service and nutrition, sales and marketing, cybersecurity and information technology, world languages and cultures, and theater and music,” Dr. Alvarez-Oritz said.
She noted that the college is currently renovating a free-standing building on the college’s north campus to serve as the home to its Culinary Arts program, which offers the Associate in Occupational Studies degree. The building will be completed in 2024.
“The NCC Hospitality Business Department is looking forward to collaborating with the Sands resort,” said Anne Cubeta, a professor and chair of the Hospitality Business Department at Nassau Community College. “Our department has the capability to develop programs that will meet the need of the hospitality businesses within the complex. We see this as a winning combination for our current and future students as well as for Nassau County.”
When Sands developed its previously owned resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the company established a similar collaborative relationship with Northampton Community College that included co-development of curriculum to train local workers for resort jobs, on-site student learning opportunities at the resort, coursework taught by Sands representatives, internships and other events and programs.
In Las Vegas, the company co-founded and continues to support the Sands Center for Professional Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Harrah College of Hospitality. The company recently established a $1 million scholarship program to help advance hospitality careers in Singapore in conjunction with its iconic Marina Bay Sands resort, which also regularly hosts, trains and employs hospitality students on site through a variety of developmental programs.
Sands is proposing a Long Island integrated resort development that would include outdoor community spaces, four and five-star hotel rooms and a world-class live performance venue honoring the long legacy of live music at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The resort also would feature celebrity chef restaurants, experiential events and venues, and flexible meeting and convention space, with ballrooms. Other planned amenities include high-quality casino gaming, representing less than ten percent of the project’s total square footage; a luxurious day spa; a swimming pool and health club; and a variety of other entertainment programming.