{"id":69027,"date":"2020-09-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2020\/09\/29\/nu-president-talks-workforce-development-efforts\/"},"modified":"2022-09-02T20:44:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T01:44:15","slug":"nu-president-talks-workforce-development-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2020\/09\/29\/nu-president-talks-workforce-development-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"NU president talks workforce development efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Workforce development — a high priority across the University of Nebraska system in the pre-COVID world — has taken on new urgency in the face of a pandemic that has impacted economic growth locally and across the country, President Ted Carter told a legislative committee Monday.<\/p>\n

Nebraska leaders will need to continue to take decisive action to sustain economic growth through the pandemic, Carter said during testimony to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. Carter was among the higher education representatives to testify on LR 389<\/a>, an interim study sponsored by Appropriations Chairman John Stinner to examine the impact of COVID-19 on workforce development and efforts by Nebraska postsecondary institutions to address existing shortages.<\/p>\n

“Nebraska has been fortunate to avoid some of the most devastating economic consequences of the pandemic. But no one has been immune,” Carter said, thanking Stinner, Appropriations Committee Vice Chairwoman Kate Bolz and their colleagues for their attention to critical issues facing the state.<\/p>\n

“I’m pleased to tell you the University of Nebraska is laser-focused on workforce development and economic growth. COVID-19 has only accelerated our thinking. The success of the state and its public university are intertwined: When we grow, so grows the state.”<\/p>\n

Carter pointed to a number of specific steps taken recently by the university to expand access and flexibility for students during a challenging period. Greater access, he said, will help drive enrollment growth, which in turn will position the university to make an even greater impact on Nebraska’s workforce and competitiveness.<\/p>\n

Nebraska currently faces an annual shortage of 34,000 openings in high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs like engineering, nursing, IT and accounting. The university’s campuses produce an estimated 11,000 graduates each year, with goals to grow that figure to help close the gap, Carter said.<\/p>\n

NU’s recent actions include:<\/p>\n