Apprentices Would Gain Under Bills to Improve Workforce
Joshua Santiago figured he’d follow the brain drain out of Nebraska — until he landed an internship at Spreetail that’s now paving the way for a future full-time job in Lincoln, a trendy loft apartment and the most pocket change he’s ever had.
“That internship … changed my life forever,” he told the Legislature’s Appropriation Committee. “I’ll be staying in the Cornhusker state.”
His testimony last Thursday followed Myra Brown, another student who talked about a high school job shadow opportunity with a Grand Island oncologist that offered lessons not available in a classroom. She said she’s on a path to medical school.
The two young Nebraskans spoke at an afternoon public hearing at the Capitol, joining numerous others testifying on bills that collectively would direct about $100 million toward internship, apprenticeship and state-college-based projects aimed at keeping and beefing up the state’s future workforce.
Facing Competition
The committee took no action on whether to advance any of the bills aired during a three-hour hearing. The proposals, intended also as economic drivers, are competing against a multitude of others seeking pieces of the state’s $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Among bills reviewed was Legislative Bill 1167, introduced by Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, which would allocate $30 million for internship grants and $20 million for training and apprenticeship monies.
LB 1206, introduced by Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward, would appropriate $44.3 million to state colleges to upgrade infrastructure, technology, equipment and housing.
LB 1063, introduced by Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, would direct $5 million to the state Labor Department for programs aimed at increasing apprenticeships and to provide “premium pay” bonuses to existing registered apprentices.
LB 1072, introduced by Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, would direct $1 million to a “financial success program” shepherded by Creighton University that he said builds skills to increase income mobility. The gift would require outside matching funds of $2 million.
Premium Pay for Apprentices
Felicia Hilton, representing Nebraska workers in the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, joined a few others in the skilled trades in supporting awarding a premium pay bonus to apprentices. She said they should be duly recognized, similar to other essential workers of the pandemic, as they carried on with construction work that is key to a thriving community.
The one-time payment, said Hilton, would serve as an incentive to keep workers motivated and in the state. But, she said, she was opposed to the state appropriating dollars for new staffers to administer the awards.
The state Department of Labor already has names of registered apprentices, she said, and could distribute funds directly to those trainees.
Nebraska Labor Commissioner John Albin questioned whether the state could find enough eligible trainees to award the premium pay. He said the state has not been able to spend all the funds it previously received for a similar apprentice-focused program.
On the bill that Kolterman introduced to benefit state colleges, the term-limited senator urged approval, saying the proposal helps wrap up his last year in the Legislature. He called LB 1206 an investment in the workforce of the future and said passage is “critical to maintaining rural areas.”
This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.
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