$12 million awarded to Lincoln businesses for workforce development

Six local businesses were awarded assistance from the American Rescue Plan Act to train skilled workers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As part of the American Rescue Plan Act, six local businesses were awarded a total of $12 million in funding on Thursday under the Workforce Grant Program.

The funding aims to drive and sustain workforce development as businesses recover from lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, the last few years underscored the need, and lack thereof, of skilled workers in Lincoln’s community.

“Ensuring workers have access to rewarding and financially secure careers that enable them to provide for themselves and their families is a top priority,” Gaylor Baird said.  “Ensuring businesses and organizations can secure the workforce they need to be successful and grow our local economy is an equally important priority. Backing these priorities with significant funding from the American Rescue Plan is a win-win for Lincoln’s workers and employers.”

Six businesses will be provided the following funding for specialized workforce training:

• Bryan Health will receive over $1 million for 125 participants a year to receive Certified Nursing Assistant or phlebotomy training.
• The Center for People in Need will receive almost $600,000 to train 40 students a year in the Google Career Certificate Program.
• Community Action will receive about $1 million to provide Child Development Associate Credential training to 30 participants a year.
• Lincoln Manufacturing will receive about $2 million to provide two types of classes:
  • Fourteen Manufacturing Certification 1 classes will be offered to 225 participants over three years.
  • Twelve Manufacturing Certification 2 classes will be offered to 200 participants.
• Rabble Mill will receive about $2 million for its Workforce Readiness Program and to fund building improvements.
• Southeast Community College will receive about $4.5 million for a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center to provide training in information technology, manufacturing and welding and to develop an innovative approach to rapid retraining of the community’s workforce.

Exact figures are not yet available. The $12 million includes contingency funds as well as administrative and audit costs.

“These awards represent major investments in workforce development for key industries in our community, including child care, early childhood education, the health sciences, information technology, manufacturing, welding, and youth employment,” Gaylor Baird said.