skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump pressures journalist to accept doctored photo as real: 'Why don't you just say yes?' Head Start funding cuts threaten MA early childhood program success; FL tomato industry enters new era as U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ends; KY's federal preschool funding faces uncertain future.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Trump acknowledges the consumer toll of his tariffs on Chinese goods. Labor groups protest administration policies on May Day, and U.S. House votes to repeal a waiver letting California ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

NE Winnebago Tribe apprenticeships prepare students, build workforce

play audio
Play

Friday, May 17, 2024   

Workforce watchers project the country could face critical worker shortages in many of the skilled trades in coming years.

The Nebraska Winnebago Tribe is taking a proactive approach to the issue. Its apprenticeship program helps high school juniors and seniors learn skills while helping the community build its skilled workforce. It is a collaboration between Ho-Chunk, Inc., Winnebago High School, the Winnebago Tribe Education Department and local businesses.

Willy Bass, manager of community impact and engagement for Ho-Chunk, Inc., said tribal leaders realized they needed programs for their youth who might not pursue higher education.

"This program was intended to get students interested, and a foot in the door, in the fields of construction, IT, nursing, education, etc.," Bass outlined. "Any of those sort of technical-related careers."

Bass explained the students earn credits for spending two hours at their worksite four days a week. On Fridays, they learn "soft skills," such as resume building, interviewing and the importance of a good attitude and good attendance. In the latest Harris Poll, more than 80% of employers reported many of their youngest workers lack these important soft skills.

Bass pointed out one of the tribe's priorities is ensuring its members have job opportunities. He noted some apprenticeship graduates choose to start working right after high school, while others pursue further training in their apprenticeship field.

"We want our kids to go off, get educated and come back and contribute to the tribe and make it a better place, and for them to be successful," Bass emphasized. "If they want to contribute those skills on a broader scale in other communities, they have that support system."

Kamau Turner, superintendent of Winnebago Public Schools, said they plan to build upon the program in the future. He hopes students interested in a skilled trade will eventually be able to graduate from high school fully certified, which would be a boon for the Winnebago community.

"I have to call a plumber from Sioux City; I have to call an electrician from Sioux City," Turner observed. "Our community is growing, our school is growing, and there'll be more of those people needed. Jobs will have to grow as the community grows."

Winnebago's population has increased 30% in the past eight years.

Disclosure: Ho-Chunk, Inc. contributes to our fund for reporting on Cultural Resources, Housing/Homelessness, and Native American Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In Illinois, counties cover the operational costs of juvenile detention centers, while the state reimburses for staffing at more than $40 million per year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Two bills aimed at reforming the juvenile justice system in Illinois are close to becoming law. Senate Bill 1784 proposes raising the age of …


Social Issues

play sound

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston is one of many historic and cultural institutions across the nation to lose access to federal funding…

Social Issues

play sound

New national rankings out this week show South Dakota jumped a few spots higher in teacher pay for each state. However, there are questions about …


Social Issues

play sound

Wyoming labor unions will gather Thursday in Casper in honor of May Day, a holiday celebrated in 80 countries commemorating the labor movement and …

Healthy School Meals for All serves up more than 600,000 meals every school day in Colorado, regardless of a student's ability to pay. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Colorado lawmakers grapple with $1.2 billion in budget cuts, child nutrition advocates are turning to voters to protect funding for the state's …

Social Issues

play sound

By Whitney Curry Wimbish for Sentient.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Coll…

Environment

play sound

A pair of new reports shows Ohio communities are quietly leading the way on clean energy, from urban centers to small towns, with solar power playing …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021