LINCOLN — Nearly two years ago, Gov. Jim Pillen announced a $20 million internship program aimed at strengthening Nebraska’s workforce and keeping the next generation in high-paying jobs on their home turf. The governor told a room full of conference-goers at the time that the state contract partnering with the Aksarben Foundation would connect students with jobs and help jumpstart careers in the “good life.” He said Nebraska’s workforce shortage strategy “begins with recruiting in our own backyard.”

But with the state facing a budget shortfall, Pillen now wants to redirect what’s left in the internship fund, roughly $11 million in state funds, to help fill a projected $432 million gap over the next two years. A related Legislative Bill 423 would essentially eliminate the internship grant program in its current form. Hoping to sway state lawmakers otherwise is the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which lobbies for businesses statewide. Keeping alive a state-funded internship program is among the chamber’s priorities for the 2025 legislation session.

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