North Platte was the first stop for representatives of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry to begin the annual tour of the state for a look at community business, education, demographics and other trends.
One of the issues reported by North Platte and area businesses is a lack of available, qualified workers.
Jamie Karl, a state chamber lobbyist, said over 52 percent of the respondents to a chamber survey in 2013 reported they had difficulty finding employees. Karl gave several reasons for this: Low unemployment in Nebraska, a lack of skilled labor and out migration of college graduates to other areas over the last two years.
Within a few years, Karl said, more than two-thirds of Nebraska jobs will require post-secondary education. The state chamber created InternNE.com in response, a site meant to help two- and four-year college students find paid internships in Nebraska. The chamber helps finance those internships, as long as the position was created new.
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Karl said school districts are also investing in more job training programs for high school students. Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha districts have created career academies for students who want to learn skills before graduation. Kearney is considering a similar program.
Some students, Karl said, have been offered jobs before graduating from high school, with employer assistance to get degrees from community colleges. He said McCook has hired its first industrial arts teacher in years in response to area demand for skilled labor.
Barry Kennedy, president of the state chamber, said the available workforce has been an issue in Nebraska for the last 3-5 years.
Karl said the state chamber has been pitching Nebraska to veterans to help fill labor demands. Representatives have approached veterans stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., Fort Riley, Kan. and Fort Carson, Colo.
Last year, chamber lobbyists worked to get two bills through the Nebraska Legislature to assist veterans moving to the state: LB 987 and LB 740. LB 987 exempts Social Security and military retirement benefits from income taxation, and LB 740 allows for veterans who have been off active duty for two years or less, their spouse and dependents to receive in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, provided they either register to vote in Nebraska or present clear evidence of intent to be a Nebraska resident.
The state chamber has done community forums for about 30 years, Kennedy said.
