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Lincoln, NE: Creating a “Ladder” for Immigrant & Refugee Inclusion with SIIP  

May 31, 2024
Lincoln, NE

Nebraska has a long history as a leading refugee resettlement state, and the recent years have been no exception. In 2019, Lincoln’s New Americans Task Force (NATF) and Employ LNK partnered to join the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) with the goal of expanding and building systems to better support the inclusion of individuals with credentials earned in other countries. 

In 2016, Nebraska resettled the most refugees per capita in the nation, with the largest populations in Lincoln and Omaha. Yet while approximately one-fifth of immigrants and refugees arrived in Lincoln with a college degree or higher, few resources existed to support them in connecting with local careers. In fact, nearly 45% of Nebraska’s 22,200 college-educated immigrants and refugees are unemployed or underemployed, the result of systemic factors like language barriers, limited recognition of international credentials, and uneven access to workforce development programs.  

NATF and EmployLNK came together through SIIP to collaboratively address these barriers and raise awareness of the potential of this largely untapped workforce across the region.  

Conducting Surveys and Scaling Support 

In the spring of 2019, NATF conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of local immigrants and refugee communities, gathering feedback from over 500 respondents to inform the city’s inaugural immigrant inclusion planning efforts. In addition to their work on the survey, members of the Lincoln SIIP cohort also studied how federal WIOA funds could support work-based apprenticeship models and cultivated relationships with employers and higher education partners.  

The “backbone” of this early work, according to Lincoln SIIP cohort members, was the development of pathways guides to inform internationally trained immigrants and refugees on how to gain entry to careers in high-demand industries in Nebraska. With technical assistance from SIIP, the partners started with guides focused on entering the fields of nursing and law. In early 2020, a grant from the U.S. Conference of Mayors allowed the partners to continue that work by hiring a dedicated fellow to draft additional guides for accounting, education, and engineering.  

Writing the guides, however, was just the beginning — they would need to be updated regularly to reflect changing requirements, and case managers and clients alike would need to be trained to use them. Realizing the scope of the work ahead, the partners began exploring the possibility of establishing a program specifically for internationally trained immigrants and refugees. That idea came to life as the CareerLadder Project. In 2020, Lincoln’s NATF won a significant grant from Google.org, which allowed the partners to solidify the project’s offerings into three core programming components:  

  • Case Management supports for internationally trained immigrants and refugees, with coaching, credential evaluation, professional licensing, and referrals.  
  • The Connectors Program, inspired by SIIP partners in ​​Portland, Maine, which facilitates mentorship and networking between immigrants and established local professionals.  
  • My City Academy, a leadership development program that trains local immigrants and refugees to engage with local government.   

Over the past two years, the CareerLadder Project has served 174 immigrants and refugees. The experience has empowered organizational staff: now more confident serving internationally trained immigrants and refugees, they are better able to position clients for long-term career success. “Prior to our work with SIIP, we would see an internationally trained client and not know where to send them. Now we are working hard to make sure we share the right information with the right people, so we can get clients on the right path,” explained a Lincoln SIIP cohort participant.  

The Connectors Program has garnered public interest, with two University of Nebraska Lincoln professors conducting a longitudinal study of its economic impact, and another professor volunteering to develop a virtual training module for the program’s mentors.  

Looking Ahead in Lincoln  

Participation in SIIP built momentum for Lincoln to team with surrounding Lancaster County to participate in the 2020 cohort of Gateways for Growth. The technical support provided by the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America helped them create a comprehensive plan to champion immigrant inclusion. Released in 2022, the plan is focused on fostering immigrants’ and refugees’ potential to drive regional economic and workforce growth.  

The organizations involved in Lincoln’s SIIP cohort have partners located across Nebraska, and are eager to position CareerLadder as a statewide resource, with a dedicated website and open-source library. Building on funding from Google.org, the partners are also engaged in securing long-term financial support for CareerLadder. “The trifecta of the city, the business sector, and the nonprofit sector is really appealing to funders,” explained a Lincoln-based leader. “The goal is that eventually the work will be so streamlined and so aligned with the agencies’ missions that it will continue as a regular part of their work.”  

With support from SIIP, Lincoln is creating a more inclusive, vibrant workforce across Nebraska. Learn how your community can participate in a future SIIP cohort.

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