Mayor Launches New Future-Ready Workforce Initiative

Published on February 27, 2025

Scholarships will provide training for jobs in high demand

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and labor partners today announced the City will invest $1.3 million in a Future-Ready Workforce Initiative designed to help Lincoln’s underemployed and unemployed residents train for jobs in high demand fields.

“This new initiative will help prepare Lincoln’s workforce for the careers of today and tomorrow, creating financial stability for our community members and enhancing local employers’ access to a skilled workforce,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “This initiative positions Lincoln to lead the region in building a high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill ‘future-ready’ workforce.” 

Joining Mayor Gaylor Baird at the Workforce Week news conference were:

  • Sändra Washington, City Council Chair
  • Jon Kisby, Southeast Community College Milford Campus Associate Vice President
  • Roy Lamb, IBEW Local 265 member and Director of Training at the Lincoln Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Center
  • Dylan Wren, City of Lincoln Workforce Administrator
  • Ron Runyan, Vision Mechanical Business Owner

The fourth and final Workforce Week event focused on the new Future-Ready Workforce Initiative that provides scholarships for training in high-demand careers, such as electricians; heating, ventilation, air conditioning technicians (HVAC), and automotive service technicians. 

The initiative, financed from interest accrued on American Rescue Plan Act funds, will focus on underemployed individuals, those facing barriers to employment and residents seeking to enhance their job opportunities or make a career change. The initiative also seeks to remove barriers to employment by providing supportive assistance such as gas money, child or elder care, uniforms, and tools.

The Future-Ready Workforce Initiative is made possible through a coalition of local organizations that includes representatives from:

  • Southeast Community College – Offers training programs for electrical technicians, automotive technicians, heating, ventilation, air conditioning technicians
  • American Job Center – Provides comprehensive case management for participants and track performance metrics
  • Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development – Facilitates relationships with local businesses offering employment opportunities
  • International Brotherhood Electrical Workers Local 265 – Provides electrician apprenticeship and journeymen training program
  • City of Lincoln – Convenes partners, identifies gaps in job training pipeline, identifies funding opportunities, connects community resources
  • Lincoln Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Center – Manages and facilitates apprenticeships for program participants

Wren noted there are more than an estimated 300 open positions available for electricians, HVAC, and auto technicians in the area.

“This initiative offers a chance for our residents to build skills, earn good wages, and fill jobs that keep our city running,” Wren said.

Kisby called the Future-Ready Workforce program an exciting and crucial step forward into providing the skilled workforce Lincoln needs to build, maintain, and empower the infrastructure and transportation destinations for the city.

“We’ve always been about training the workforce on what it needs and where it’s going,” Kisby said. “At Southeast Community College, we’re honored to partner with the Future-Ready Workforce Initiative, and we are prepared to equip our local industries with the skilled workforce they need.”

Lamb said that because the need for electricians nationally is projected to grow at 11% annually over the next 10 years, those in that field will likely command high wages and benefits.

“The need for skilled labor has never been higher,” Lamb said. “Training to become an electrician is an excellent way to get into a satisfying, high-paying career in a relatively short period of time.”

Runyan said trade schools and apprenticeship programs are crucial to developing a capable workforce, and for young people interested in building a long-term, rewarding career, the HVAC industry is filled with opportunity.

“As the demand for skilled workers continues to rise, it is more important than ever for younger individuals to consider entering these essential trades. While technology is revolutionizing areas like diagnostics, system design, and fabrication, it’s the hands-on expertise of trained professionals that ensure we continue to experience the comfort and reliability that HVAC services provide,” Runyan said.

Council Chair Washington said the City of Lincoln’s investment in the Future-Ready Workforce Initiative will help ensure an even brighter future for Lincoln residents.

“I believe we have a responsibility to provide access to good-paying jobs, effective training programs, and support resources that help our community members overcome barriers to employment, and I believe the Future-Ready Workforce Initiative checks all three of those boxes,” Washington said.

Thursday’s news conference was the final Workforce Week event that began February 24. Each day Mayor Gaylor Baird highlighted how the City’s workforce investments are delivering results that support residents’ financial security, make life more affordable, and create economic opportunity into the future.

To sign up for a Future-Ready Workforce Initiative orientation, visit lincoln.ne.gov/FutureReady, or contact the American Job Center, 1330 “N” St., at 402-441-1640 or ajc@lincoln.ne.gov.

Visit lincoln.ne.gov/WorkDevProgram for more information on the $12 million in workforce development program grants awarded to nine non-profit organizations in Lincoln.

Tagged as:
Back to top