Kirt Manion
kmanion@cherryroad.com
Looking for a job in Nebraska City or the surrounding area?
Then look no further than Nebraska City’s satellite office for the Nebraska Department of Labor, located in the Nebraska City Center for Children and Families at 917 Wildwood Lane.
Through the years, you may have heard this office referred to as the job service or the unemployment office, but the moniker that best fits the state service may well be the opportunity office.
Corrie Crook, a native of Nebraska City and the point person for Nebraska City’s local office, joined Sandy Grigg, a Veterans Reemployment Coordinator, in presenting a program about the organization at the weekly meeting of the Nebraska City Rotary Club at Valentino’s Restaurant on Wednesday, May 22.
The Nebraska Department of Labor Offices in Beatrice and Nebraska City serve a 13-county area which includes Otoe, Gage, Filmore, Saline, Nemaha, Johnson, York, Seward, Richardson, Jefferson, Cass, Pawnee, and Thayer counties.
Crook, a 22-year veteran at the Nebraska Department of Labor, said the Nebraska City satellite office is well located in a building with other organizations offering a wide range of community services.
“We all have the same goal and that is to help people, keep people employed and make the area successful,” Crook said.
The staff at the Nebraska Department of Labor is a group of cross-trained professionals who can help people in their area of expertise and can also direct a patron to the program and staff which can best address their needs.
Crook, whose main work is in employment services, can assist patrons in building resumes, constructing cover letters, applying for jobs and more. She said Nebraska City is a community blessed with opportunities for employment.
“Nebraska City is very fortunate that we have a lot of really great industry here,” Crook said. “We really have a climate for jobs here that some people do not have. That is really something special about Nebraska City.”
In addition to employment services, the Nebraska City office works to help with business services which help employers locate candidates and provides them with data and other resources.
The Nebraska Department of Labor offers programs and a priority of service for veterans and spouses as well as programs for dislocated workers, youth just entering the job market and more. The office also has the ability to connect with non-English speakers.
Patrons seeking work experience can gain and learn new skills through Department of Labor programming. The Occupational Skills Training (Education Assistance) program uses federal dollars to provide education up to an associate degree, a value of as much as $8,000.
On the job training is also a possibility through Nebraska Department of Labor programs.
“Our training programs are all designed to assist people to become employed,” Crook said.
“The Department of Labor is a really big piece of keeping the economy going with our employers and our job seekers,” said Crook. “It’s like a puzzle that all fits together.
“What we do is connect employers and job seekers,” she said. “We do whatever we need to do so our employers have employees that are working to drive the economy.”
The opportunities made possible by the offices of the Department of Labor can have transformative impact on the lives of residents.
Dan Mauk, Executive Director, Nebraska City Area Economic Development Corporation, said he has seen evidence of that transformation firsthand.
“They are literally changing lives every day, saving people, turning their lives around and providing education and opportunity for them,” Mauk said. “They do it because they care about the people they serve.
For more information about the Nebraska Department of Labor, visit the Nebraska City satellite office at 917 Wildwood Lane, or reach them by phone at 402-873-3384. Nebraska City office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday.
Information is also available online at neworks.nebraska.gov or download the Nebraska Department of Labor app for your phone by searching NEworks in your phone’s app store.
Job Fair
The Nebraska City Job Fair/Hiring Event is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, in the basement of the Veterans Memorial Building at 801 1st Corso from 2 to 5 p.m.
This event is being hosted by the Nebraska Department of Labor, the Nebraska City Area Economic Development and Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce. All job seekers are welcome to attend. The event is an opportunity to have a conversation with employers hiring in the Nebraska City area.
Employers being featured at the event include APACE Nebraska City, Arbor Day Farm, Cargill, City of Nebraska City, Fareway, Home Instead, Honeywell, Magnolia Metal, Nebco, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Peru State College, Smart Chicken, the Fort and The Nebraska Masonic Home.
For more information, contact Brian Koch, Reemployment Coordinator at the Nebraska Department of Labor, by phone, 402-223-6060 or by email at brian.koch@nebraska.gov.
