Nebraska

Overview

Nebraska enjoys high college participation and completion rates among young adults. However, as degree attainment rates grow, there is a greater need for refined strategies that increase completion rates to meet workforce demand.

More granular data could assess the magnitude of state challenges, including low completion rates for nonwhites, low relative wages for college graduates and low percentage of workers in emerging fields, such as STEM and health care. To meet the demands for highly skilled workers, the legislature should consider ways of leveraging the productive capacities of state universities and community colleges to align credentials with specific high-demand fields.

Data

How does Nebraska rank compared to the national average?

Adults 25-64 with college degrees: 16th (41.2% vs. 38%)
Gap in attainment between young and older adults: 12th (5.13% vs. 2.05%)
High school graduates going directly to college: 18th (65.5% vs. 63.3%)
STEM credentials awarded per 1,000 STEM employees: 10th (76% vs. 54.4%)
Credentials awarded per 1,000 18- to 44-year-olds with no college degree: 6th (47.5% vs. 37.6%)
Workers with college degrees earning low wages: 33rd (25.8% vs. 22.9%)

For more information, please see the following documents:

Nebraska Data Profile

Nebraska Data PowerPoint

Policies

Boosting College Completion has produced a comprehensive 50-state legislative database related to college completion and workforce development. The database will grow as we continue to collect and analyze policies.

Highlights of Nebraska’s policies:

Authorizing Certificate Programs at the University of Nebraska – L.B. 637 (2011)
Nebraska Opportunity Grant Act – L.B. 956 (2010)
Involving Student Data Sharing – L.B. (2010)
Vocational Training for Public Assistance Recipients – L.B. 458 (2009)

Check out the BCC database for a more complete summary of Nebraska’s policies. Click on the Menu arrow for additional options, such as printing the summary.

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Analysis

Boosting College Completion has developed a policy profile for Nebraska based on an analysis of data and policies related to college completion and workforce development.

Nebraska Policy Profile

Forty-two percent of Nebraskans hold a college degree, which is above the national average. Like Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, Nebraska enjoys high college participation and completion rates among young adults. In the past, a generic college credential had real economic value in the workforce. However, as degree attainment rates grow, there is a greater need for refined strategies that increase completion rates to meet workforce demand.

More granular data could assess the magnitude of state challenges, including low completion rates for nonwhites, low relative wages for college graduates and low percentage of workers in emerging fields, such as STEM and health care.To meet the demands for highly skilled workers, Nebraska does not need to dramatically increase productivity; rather, the legislature should consider ways of leveraging the productive capacities of state universities and community colleges to align credentials with specific high-demand fields.

To drive economic growth and to adapt to new workforce realities, legislators should consider:

Leveraging state resources and strategies to improve college participation among minorities and middle-aged adults
Assessing the impact of institutional strategies on the attainment of state goals, such as increased access, affordability and degree productivity
Connecting education and workforce data to find out what college graduates are earning, the fields they are employed in and the value of their degrees to the workforce
Developing a statewide workforce strategy that leverages high degree productivity of young adults and the economy of Greater Omaha to increase alignment between college and careers
Scaling of promising institutional efforts that could accelerate learning, reduce time-to-degree and increase completion rates.

News & Updates

Policy Leaders

Sen. Greg Adams, Chair, Education Committee

Initiatives

Unlike other states, Nebraska is not participating in any national initiatives related to college completion and workforce development that BCC is tracking.