For every 100 jobs in Nebraska and Iowa, only 31 of them in Nebraska (30 in Iowa) require a four-year degree. More than half of the jobs in these states require skills training that can be achieved within the community college system. As employers seek to fill these skilled positions, technical schools are trying to fill the pipeline and solve this “skills mismatch.” 

As an employer that thrives on skilled labor, Boyd Jones understands the need for more career-ready skilled tradespeople. And as one of Nebraska’s premier construction firms, we also understand clients need to renovate existing facilities and build new ones that support workforce training initiatives and address skilled labor needs. So when Southeast Community College (SCC) issued its plans for a state-of-the-art welding and diesel technology laboratory facility in mid-2018, we were in a prime position to help the school meet the needs of its students and industry partners. 

To continue fulfilling its mission of facilitating lifelong educational opportunities to the people of southeast Nebraska, SCC needed a partner that knew far more than simply how to put up a new building. In Boyd Jones, it selected a partner with a wealth of experience and lessons learned through building dozens of projects that include auto dealerships, advanced manufacturing plants, renewable and conventional energy, and facilities supported by health professionals.

SCC’s goals for its students and industry partners line up with the needs of our own clients. We have been working with companies such as Baxter Auto Group, PVS Metals, and Airlite Plastics for decades. That experience translated into the expertise needed for SCC to provide a professional-quality setting to its students pursuing career pathways in diesel technology and welding.

“Boyd Jones have an excellent level of quality in their workmanship, an eye for detail, superb subject matter expertise and resourcefulness, and a high level of professionalism with everyone involved,” said SCC Director of Facilities Aaron Epps. “They took the time to listen to our needs, to partner us with the best vendors we could get, and still kept us within budget and schedule.”

Our knowledge of the materials, technology, systems, and processes required by our own industry partners represents an opportunity to share that expertise with our partners in higher education and, ultimately, to help them develop career-ready students. And since community college students tend to remain close to home when attending college and after graduating, they’re more likely to apply the real-world skills learned in lab and classroom settings in the local workplaces where they’re needed most.