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Growing Our Greatest Natural Resource—People

The Greater Omaha area prides itself on its educational systems. Attracting and strengthening businesses means growing the capabilities, skills and knowledge of the area’s labor force. Through education and workforce development efforts, the Greater Omaha Chamber works with area schools, universities and private training providers to ensure a quality workforce.

“Omaha’s excellent workforce and strong educational system give our company and the city’s economy underlying strength and a competitive advantage,” says Dan Neary, chairman and CEO of Mutual of Omaha and past chairman of the Chamber.

Meeting Workforce Shortages

The Omaha Workforce Collaborative, launched in January 2009, is a unique effort that is attempting to break the cycle of poverty by matching individuals to unfilled jobs. The Collaborative is meeting critical workforce shortages in targeted industries with customized training for unemployed and low-wage earning Omahans. New programs are continually being developed.

The Collaborative’s pilot program, in 2008, in conjunction with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska and Mutual of Omaha, addressed critical workforce shortages in these companies’ customer service departments. Along with partners Metropolitan Community College and Goodwill Industries, program participants attended a degree-conferring training. Goodwill provided coaching and developed a partnership that is meeting the needs of both the employers and the new graduates. This “dual customer” approach is one the Collaborative hopes to replicate with ever-increasing efficiency.

Two more programs are underway, one for ophthalmic assistants and the other a welder- training program.

A GLOBAL Workforce

The workforce of Greater Omaha is a model of diversity. Omaha’s workers come from the metropolitan area, the East Coast, the West Coast and abroad.

They come to study at Bellevue University, the College of Saint Mary, Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where 117 countries are represented in the student population. They come to study medicine or conduct research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Creighton University Medical Center.

They are attracted by the high-tech positions at First Data, First National Bank of Omaha, West Corporation or the Scott Technology Center. They come to work at Yahoo!’s new data center, IPG and at Google, across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Many are entrepreneurs who come to start their own business, like Vivek Kumar, president of ProKarma, Inc. an IT consulting firm headquartered in Omaha.

No matter the reason they come to Omaha, people stay because of the opportunities. Word is getting out; Forbes ranks Omaha number 35 on its list of Best Places for Business and Careers.