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UNO leaders tell regents they’re pivoting to a skill‑based economy with microcredentials and paid internships
Summary
University of Nebraska at Omaha leaders presented the STEM Trail Center and a system of skill‑based initiatives — Career Connect paid internships, microcredentials, competency‑based courses and an AI learning lab — as strategies to meet employer demand and adult learner needs.
University of Nebraska at Omaha leaders presented the Board of Regents with an overview April 11 of campus‑level initiatives aimed at aligning higher education with employer needs in a skill‑based economy.
Chris Moore, professor of physics and director of UNO’s STEM Trail Center, described modern teaching spaces, summer camps and the center’s outreach: nearly 2,000 UNO undergraduates used the new classrooms this year and the center reports direct impact on more than 16,000 youth through camps and planetarium programming. Moore said UNO faculty have produced curricula used by more than 1,000,000 students nationally and that the center is leading campus efforts to integrate AI into pedagogy.
Chancellor Jolie (UNO) and Moore framed a broader campus strategy they called “Advancing in a Skill‑Based Economy.” The strategy emphasizes making degrees faster and less bureaucratic for adult learners, expanding competency‑based learning and microcredentials, and strengthening employer partnerships. Moore and the chancellor highlighted specific initiatives: Career Connect (a paid internship commitment with more than 11,400 paid internship postings on UNO’s Handshake platform and 54 employer partners), 26 microcredentials offered on topics from AI to grant development, and a soon‑to‑be‑established Competency Skills and Workforce Development Hub (seeking NU center status).
UNO leaders said the campus is piloting a cooperative education (co‑op) program in logistics and supply‑chain management with employer partners such as Valmont and Union Pacific; they identified partners on microcredential discussions including WoodmanLife and United Way. The campus also reported nearly 1,000 users of an enterprise generative AI platform and 70 faculty redeveloping courses to include applied AI experiences.
Presenters said UNO’s transfer partnership with Metropolitan Community College (MCC) has helped increase transfer enrollment (noted at +13% for new transfer students last fall) and cited data that 81% of UNO graduates remain working in Nebraska one year after graduation and about 67% at five years. The campus framed the emphasis on competency, microcredentials and paid experiential learning as both a response to employer hiring practices that increasingly value skills over degrees and a strategy to retain talent in Nebraska.
Regents thanked UNO presenters for the tour of the STEM Trail Center and commended campus leaders on the variety of workforce‑oriented experiments and partnerships. The presentation did not require a board vote; regents said they would consider formal approvals for center status and hub designation in future items.
