Industry leaders push Nebraska lawmakers to revive state internship program

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Nebraska leaders have battled brain drain for years, trying to curb the diploma-to-out-the-door pipeline. One way was through the Intern Nebraska program, but that got stripped of funding due to budget woes last year.

On Friday morning, a lawmaker and several educators, organizers, and business leaders lobbied for a return of the program in a hearing of the legislature's Business and Labor Committee.

"Nebraska faces a looming demographic cliff," UNL professor Dr. Tyler White said. "We see it already in declining school enrollments, and soon we will feel it more acutely in our workforce."

State Sen. Jason Prokop — reading data compiled by the University of Nebraska Omaha — said that from 2010 to 2020, Nebraska faced a net loss of 6,00 domestic migrants per year, especial