I talked with a group of working parents at the Center for People in Need this week. The hot topic there, as in the rest of the nation, was JOBS.
The good folks I spoke with talked about daily schedules shuttling kids, trying to study, and working long hours. They talked about the need for education and job training that matters to employers. They talked about the pressure they face in trying to balance their budgets and get ahead.
The need is clear: working people in Nebraska need opportunities to pursue good jobs. 12.9% of Nebraskans overall experienced poverty in 2010. 18.2 % of children experienced poverty in 2010. These numbers persist in spite of strong participation in work. Nebraska families are working at higher rates than the rest of the nation. 79.5% of families in Nebraska have all parents participating in the labor force, compared to 71.3% nationwide.
We need to bring this conversation to the attention of our policy makers and other state leaders. We need to identify solutions together.
That’s why we are holding the Building Nebraska’s Future Workforce Forum.
The options are out there: We can create new opportunities for eduction. We can create systems that better serve the real needs of working families trying to gain education and training. We can identify high-demand jobs and develop related training programs. We can make sure that families get assistance with child care or other supports as they work to get ahead.
It does matter – it matters in the day to day lives of working families as well as to the long-term well-being of families and communities in this state. But we need to talk it out – to identify the ideas that move the dial and work for families – JOIN US at the Building Nebraska’s Future Workforce Forum to Talk Jobs and build opportunity! Learn more and RSVP at neappleseed.org/workforce
November 3, 2011
Goodwill Industries
4805 North 72nd St., Omaha, NE 68134
9:00 am to 3:30 pm