Nebraska Center For Workforce Development And Education

What Nebraska Center For Workforce Development And Education does

Nebraska Center for Workforce Development and Education (NCWDE) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered at 7117 Jones Cr., Omaha, Nebraska. The organization addresses Nebraska's skilled-labor workforce shortage — driven by a retirement wave in which over 50% of the state's skilled-labor workforce is expected to retire in coming years and a labor market where job postings outnumber job seekers roughly four to one — by exposing youth and adult job seekers to apprenticeship pathways in the skilled trades.

NCWDE operates four interconnected program lines. The T.O.O.L.S. (Trades Offer Opportunities that Lead to Success) initiative is a year-round career exploration program for 7th through 12th graders in the Omaha Metro area, delivered through partnerships with school districts including Millard Public Schools and Westside Community Schools. The organization maintains an apprenticeship program directory covering 13+ trade disciplines (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, sheet metal, iron work, carpentry, masonry, heavy equipment, insulation, painting, sprinkler fitting, steamfitting, laboring) with referral links to union sponsors including IBEW Local 22, Operating Engineers Local 571, Laborers Local 1140, Plumbers Local 16, and Sheet Metal Workers Local 3. An educational partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha's William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies provides coursework on employee rights, labor history, FMLA, and grievance procedures. The annual Blue Collar Boxing fundraiser, featuring competing local labor union members, generates proceeds split with United Way of the Midlands.

The organization's revenue model is donation- and event-driven, with no pricing for participant services (programs are free to participants). Funding flows through online donation platforms (Square, Qgiv), individual and organizational gifts, and fundraising event proceeds. The underlying technology stack is minimal — a Squarespace-hosted website at nebraskaworkforce.org, mailing list subscription, and YouTube-hosted event recaps. NCWDE is governed by a lean leadership team (CEO Jim Vecchio, Director of Development Justin Bruns) with Jon Day serving as a bridge between Omaha Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and United Way of the Midlands representation. The core business model rests on being a coordinating intermediary rather than a direct training provider — NCWDE does not run apprenticeship training itself but connects participants to union, employer, and academic partners that do.

Name

Nebraska Center For Workforce Development And Education

Legal name

Nebraska Center for Workforce Development and Education

Website

https://nebraskaworkforce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nebraska Center for Workforce Development and Education is an Omaha-based nonprofit that exposes Nebraska youth and job seekers to skilled-trades apprenticeship pathways via the T.O.O.L.S. program, an apprenticeship directory, and union, academic, and community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

Keywords

• Workforce development programs
• Apprenticeship career training
• Skilled trades education
• Youth career exploration
• Nonprofit labor partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: NCWDE generates revenue through donations from individuals, organizations, and community supporters. The organization accepts donations through online payment platforms and conducts fundraising events such as the Blue Collar Boxing fundraiser.
2. Blue Collar Boxing Event Proceeds: Annual competitive fundraiser featuring local labor union members. All proceeds go to United Way of the Midlands and NCWDE.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nebraska Center for Workforce Development and Education (NCWDE) is a nonprofit that delivers workforce development programs connecting youth and job seekers to skilled trades careers and union-affiliated apprenticeships. Its core offerings include the T.O.O.L.S. youth career exploration program for 7th–12th graders, a directory of apprenticeship programs across 13+ trade disciplines, and an annual Blue Collar Boxing fundraiser supporting its mission.

Product overview

NCWDE operates as a workforce development nonprofit offering multiple programs: T.O.O.L.S. is a year-round career exploration program for middle and high school students introducing them to skilled trades opportunities; the Apprenticeship Programs directory connects individuals with union-affiliated apprenticeship training across 13+ trade disciplines; Blue Collar Boxing serves as an annual fundraising event; and the William Brennan Institute Partnership provides educational coursework on labor topics. These offerings work together to address Nebraska's skilled labor workforce shortage by exposing youth to trades careers and facilitating pathways into apprenticeship programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T.O.O.L.S. Trades Offer Opportunities that Lead to Success - a collaborative program geared towards seventh through twelfth graders that provides year-round career exploration activities in the skilled trades.

Products and services

• T.O.O.L.S. (Trades Offer Opportunities that Lead to Success) A year-round collaborative career exploration program for seventh through twelfth graders in the Omaha Metro area, providing hands-on activities in the skilled trades and exposing youth to apprenticeship career training and opportunities in the trades industry.
• Apprenticeship Programs Directory A directory of union-affiliated apprenticeship programs covering 13+ skilled trade disciplines including bricklaying/masonry, carpentry, electrical, heavy equipment operations, insulation, iron work, laboring, painting, plumbing, sheet metal work, sprinkler fitting, and steamfitting/HVAC, connecting job seekers to local apprenticeship training opportunities.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Omaha Federation of Labor, AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization representing labor unions in the Omaha area. Provides operational support, workforce connections, and participates in NCWDE leadership through representative Jon Day.
• William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies at UNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with University of Nebraska at Omaha providing coursework covering Employee Rights, Labor History, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Grievances, and various workers' rights topics.
• United Way of the MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit community partner providing funding support and co-hosting the Blue Collar Boxing fundraiser event. Participates in NCWDE leadership through representative Jon Day.
• Local Business CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partners collaborating with labor and government to address skill-gap in Nebraska's workforce through public-private partnership model.
• Omaha Metro School DistrictsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool district partners collaborating with T.O.O.L.S. program to provide career exploration activities for 7th-12th graders. Multiple district partners including Millard Public Schools and Westside Community Schools.
• Skilled Trades Unions (IBEW Local 22, Operating Engineers Local 571, and others)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade union partners providing apprenticeship programs, career information, and skilled trades expertise. Partners include IBEW Local 22, Operating Engineers Local 571, Laborers Local 1140, Plumbers Local 16, Sheet Metal Workers Local 3, and others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Chicago Women in Trades: Chicago-based nonprofit advancing women in skilled trades through training and apprenticeship referral, mirroring NCWDE's trades-workforce mission but with a women-focused and single-metro scope.
• Apprenticeship Carolina: South Carolina state-affiliated initiative that expands apprenticeship opportunities across industries, structurally similar to NCWDE's apprenticeship directory model but operating in a different state.

Direct peers

• Helmets to Hardhats: Nonprofit that connects transitioning military members to registered apprenticeship and skilled-trade careers via union partnerships, mirroring NCWDE's labor-union-affiliated apprenticeship referral model.
• SkillsUSA: National nonprofit focused on preparing middle school, high school, and college students for careers in skilled trades, directly paralleling NCWDE's T.O.O.L.S. youth career-exploration mission in a trades context.
• Home Builders Institute (HBI): National nonprofit that trains people for careers in the building industry through trades education and apprenticeship pathways, sharing NCWDE's focus on construction trades workforce development and youth/young-adult pipeline-building.

Broad incumbents

• Tradesmen International: Established national skilled-trades staffing and craft-professional staffing firm that operates apprenticeship-adjacent training programs; broader in scope and for-profit, but operates in the same skilled-trades talent ecosystem NCWDE serves.
• Year Up: Large nonprofit workforce-development organization providing career training and pathways for young adults; comparable as a mission-driven workforce intermediary, but focused on technology rather than skilled trades.
• Generation: Global nonprofit operating job-training programs across multiple professions including skilled trades; operates a comparable nonprofit training-and-placement model to NCWDE but at international scale.

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: Nonprofit providing tuition-free tech-focused workforce training and pathways; comparable as a nonprofit skills-training intermediary with employer-aligned placement, though focused on technology rather than trades.

Others

• National Fund for Workforce Solutions: National intermediary that funds and coordinates regional workforce-development collaboratives addressing skills gaps and employer talent pipelines; functions as an adjacent ecosystem funder and convener similar to NCWDE's coalition model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=IMvJ2OOVjw8
• Facebookfacebook.com/NebraskaCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-nebraska-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nebraska Center For Workforce Development And Education