The bistro is just one part of the Academy, a joint labor management trust with the board split between labor and casino resort representatives. The program has been around for more than 30 years, beginning inside an old Downtown Days Inn before moving to a larger campus on the corner of Lake Mead and Revere.
Nobody is turned away. The certificate programs are licensed by the Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education. More than 80 percent of new students receive funding. No debt. No loans. Nothing to pay back. Funding comes from various public and private sources. About half of the student body is union members who get to train and upskill for free as part of their benefits package.
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The curriculum is designed to be as short as possible, generally two weeks, which according to a union agreement, qualifies as one year on a resume. The longest program is 13 weeks for professional cooks. There are hundreds of students at any given time, but classes are kept small for direct teacher-to-student interaction.