Nebraska

Ignite Nebraska program trains people from disadvantaged backgrounds

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2022

Press Room

Ignite Nebraska program trains people from disadvantaged backgrounds

It began off as a 3 a.m. thought.

That’s how Joni Wheeler describes the creation of Ignite Nebraska.

Launched in February in Omaha, the workforce improvement apprenticeship program is the fruits of Blue Cross Blue Protect of Nebraska executives’ need to resolve a multifaceted downside: a scarcity of expertise workers. Their resolution: give economically deprived folks of coloration the coaching wanted for these middle-class careers.

“In case you give somebody a significant job, you give them hope. You give them satisfaction. You give them objective. And also you give them energy to elevate up their household,” mentioned Joni Wheeler, government vp of expertise and enterprise options at Blue Cross.

Jay Warren-Teamer, Blue Cross’ director of range and inclusion, mentioned group management got down to discover appropriate candidates. They reached out to numerous native and state entities to search out folks searching for profession development who additionally qualify for presidency help applications.

What took place was the primary group of 4 grownup college students — three of whom are Black — who graduated from this system in October. A second group of 5 college students began in September.

The coaching comes without charge to the scholars. Blue Cross has partnered with Bellevue College for the college to develop and perform the coaching curriculum. Blue Cross additionally works with different group companies to assist Ignite college students overcome points comparable to transportation challenges.

No stranger to workforce improvement applications, Bellevue College President Mary Hawkins mentioned Ignite Nebraska stands out.

“It’s been probably the most collaborative and modern approaches to actually working with an organization to develop curriculum that enables them to really rent the scholars instantly figuring out that they each had the trial by hearth within the college and trial by hearth within the office and succeeded on each ends,” she mentioned.

Initially of this system, the preliminary group of scholars began making wages of $21 per hour and labored 20 hours per week for Blue Cross. Wheeler mentioned that wage and schedule construction gave the scholars a good wage whereas permitting them to proceed to be enrolled in authorities help applications.

As the scholars acquired extra expertise over time, their wages and hours additionally elevated. On the finish of the apprenticeship, Blue Cross supplied them positions that pay between $50,000 and $60,000 per 12 months. All 4 college students accepted.

Rama Kolli, the group’s chief info officer, mentioned the workers are assembly, and in some circumstances exceeding, expectations. He added that the workers are expert at creating knowledge and presenting it by means of easy-to-understand visuals comparable to graphs.

“They will get artistic in telling a narrative,” he mentioned, “so it naturally matches into the day-to-day expertise of any individual.”

With the second group of 5 college students now going by means of this system, the Blue Cross executives mentioned they’ve a imaginative and prescient of increasing Ignite Nebraska to different Nebraska cities together with Lincoln, Kearney and Columbus. Wheeler mentioned Blue Cross additionally will proceed to recruit inside Omaha, significantly North Omaha and South Omaha.

Blue Cross additionally plans to associate with 5 to seven extra firms subsequent 12 months. The businesses may sponsor cohorts that would collectively enroll as many as 30 folks within the Ignite Nebraska program by subsequent March.

“Now we have untapped expertise throughout the group,” Wheeler mentioned.

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Related Topics:apprenticeship company education Featured ignite nebraska joni wheeler Politics student training Work workforce

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Nebraska

All-Out Blitz Week 13: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Published

5 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

All-Out Blitz Week 13: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

BadgerBlitz.com brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series for the 2024 season, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin’s upcoming opponent. We look at UW’s tenth opponent in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who the Badgers will travel to play Saturday afternoon in Lincoln at 2:30 p.m. on BTN.

QUICK PROGRAM FACTS

Head Coach: Matt Rhule (57-55 career record, second season at Nebraska)

Nebraska All Time Record: 887-404-38 (.667)

2024 Record: 5-5 (2-5 Big Ten)

Rankings: N/A

Series vs. Wisconsin: 4-13

WHEN NEBRASKA HAS THE FOOTBALL

COMPARING THE PROJECTED STARTERS

Nebraska’s gradual decline over the course of this season is parallel with the decline of their offense.

Through the first five games, in which the team began 4-1, the offense averaged 405.4 yards per game. Over the last five, the 1-4 Cornhuskers are averaging just 294 yards per game.

This prompted the demoting of offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, and promotion of Dana Holgorsen, prior to last week’s loss to USC.

It was the hope that Holgorsen, a former disciple of Mike Leach, could reinvigorate freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.

It’s hard to tell if the former No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 class is responsible for the offense’s drop-off, or merely a victim of it, but all we know is that his season has fallen off of a cliff.

Through the first five games, he threw for nine touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 70% of his passes. In the five games since, he’s down to two touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing just 60% of his passes.

Raiola hasn’t received much help from his receiving core. He never had a true No. 1 receiver, even when the offense looked good, and nobody is stepping up now. No Husker receiver has reached 100 yards in a game since the season opener against UTEP.

They added two starters via the transfer portal — Isaiah Neyor (Texas) and Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest) — but both have been solid at best.

Wisconsin’s pass defense, which has only improved as the season has gone on, should create problems for Raiola and co.

They held Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel without a touchdown for the first time all season in what felt like a triumphant defensive performance, despite the 16-13 loss.

Beyond the strong coverage of cornerbacks Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean, what was most impressive about Wisconsin’s defense was how their line was able to generate consistent pressure on Gabriel.

It’ll be key for the Badgers to shut down Nebraska’s passing attack, because their running game isn’t particularly dangerous.

They rotate between three backs on a regular basis, led by Dante Dowdell, who averages a team-high 12 carries per game. Sophomore Emmett Johnson received more carries than Dowdell in the most recent outing against USC and could be ascending up the depth chart. Regardless, no Nebraska back has been a consistent threat.

WHEN WISCONSIN HAS THE BALL

COMPARING THE PROJECTED STARTERS

This will be the first game Wisconsin plays since offensive coordinator Phil Longo was fired on Sunday.

Fickell wasn’t willing to name a replacement play caller, instead alluding to a “collaborative” operation.

However that turns out, it must lead to some sort of reinvigoration. Over Wisconsin’s three-game losing streak, the offense is averaging just 261.6 total yards per game.

The offensive incompetence was especially frustrating against Oregon, a game in which the defense had their best performance of the season.

The offense needs to go back to basics. All season, they’ve been at their best when the offensive line opens up running lanes and allows for a balanced game plan.

Running back Tawee Walker struggled mightily against Penn State and Iowa, rushing for just 111 yards over those two games, but rebounded with a 97-yard performance last week against Oregon.

The front line will have a tough matchup against Nebraska’s defensive line trio of Ty Robinson, Jamari Butler and Nash Hutmacher, who lead the 20th-ranked rushing defense in the nation.

The production of Wisconsin’s running game will be key, because they simply can’t rely on quarterback Braedyn Locke, who’s coming off of a 96-yard passing performance against Oregon. He’s thrown an interception in all seven of his starts this season, bringing his season touchdown-interception ratio to 9-9.

Locke will try to take advantage of a Nebraska secondary that suffered a crushing blow earlier this week, with the announcement that Tommi Hill would miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury.

The best starter besides Hill is Malcolm Herzog, the team leader in interception (four) who primarily plays in the slot. Although the biggest priority for Wisconsin will be safety Isaac Gifford, who leads the team in tackles with 59 and can manage to fly all over the field.

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Nebraska

HUSKER GAMEDAY: Nebraska, Wisconsin seek bowl eligibility in Big Ten clash

Published

13 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

HUSKER GAMEDAY: Nebraska, Wisconsin seek bowl eligibility in Big Ten clash

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – When Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) and Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) face off in a Big Ten conference bout Saturday, it will be like looking in the mirror.

Yes, the similarities between these teams run far deeper than the color palette.

Both squads exceeded expectations early in the 2024 season, each stringing together solid wins and even earning conference championship contender status for a brief moment. But then both teams faltered… and faltered, and faltered again.

Alas, neither team has won a game in the last 30 days.

GAME INFO

WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23
WATCH: Big Ten Network
LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network
VEGAS ODDS: Wisconsin +1, O/U 41.5

And both head coaches — Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell — are in their second year with their current employer, both of whom were brought in to turn their respective programs back toward the success of old. Both of whom seem to be slightly behind schedule on said objective, depending on who you ask.

Again, the similarities are striking, and that’s without even mentioning the fact that both teams sit at 5-5 and need one more win to achieve bowl eligibility. That’s where one of the few differences can be exposed, though. Wisconsin’s last bowl appearance came, well, last year. In fact, they’ve played in a bowl game every season since 2002.

For Nebraska, it’s been a long, arduous eight-year bowl drought, which could all come to an end inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday. But the Huskers haven’t won a game since it beat Rutgers 14-7 at home on Oct. 5. Four consecutive losses followed. Still, as Husker fans know so well, not all losses are the same.

Nebraska’s 56-7 blowout loss to Indiana left a gross taste in the mouths of Big Red Nation, but then, the Huskers lost three straight games by one score, including a near upset of No. 4 Ohio State. There are no moral victories, though, and fans have grown far too used to seeing one-score losses.

Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson (9) pursues Purdue quarterback Hudson Card (1) in the backfield during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)(Doug McSchooler | AP)

But despite all the ire and hand-wringing present around the Husker program over the past six weeks, they still have a chance to do something no Nebraska team has managed to do since 2016, and that’s make a bowl game.

To do so in front of their home crowd on senior day would be a cherry on top.

“I think the veteran guys, those senior guys are locked in,” Rhule said in his press conference Thursday. “There’s 30 seniors. There’s a lot of guys who’ve been here for five or six years, so this means a lot to them. The gravity of the situation is not lost on them and I know how much they’d like to win. I know how much they’d like to be the ones who broke through.”

This will be the second game in which Nebraska’s play-calling duties are in the hands of Dana Holgorsen, who Rhule hired last week to be the team’s new offensive coordinator, demoting Marcus Satterfield to tight ends coach.

Though, according to Rhule, it wasn’t necessarily the X’s and O’s that were the problem, and Holgorsen has echoed that.

“[Holgorsen] is putting a lot of pressure on the guys to make the plays,” Rhule said. “He’s been very direct with them. If they want to win, they’re going to have go make plays. They’re going to have to catch balls, break tackles, make long runs, make big blocks against an excellent defense, score touchdowns in the red zone. It’s not the plays that do it, it’s the players that do it. We want our players to believe that players win games.”

Wisconsin poses a unique challenge to Nebraska in that, again, they’re very much alike. The Badgers don’t really boast any major firepower on offense. Halfback Tawee Walker is their best playmaker, having found the end zone 10 times this year with an average of just under five yards per carry.

Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) returns an interception 95-yards for touchdown as... — Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) returns an interception 95-yards for touchdown as Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, left, chases during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)(Andy Manis | AP)

But this year’s Wisconsin squad hangs its hat on the defensive side of the ball — namely, the secondary. The Badgers rank in the top 10 nationally in both passing yards allowed and passing yards per game. Cornerback Ricardo Hallman is one of the top-rated NFL Draft prospects at his position.

Last week, the Badgers held Oregon quarterback and Heisman candidate to just 218 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

“They’re an excellent defense,” said Rhule. “They’ve got guys who can cover. They’re going to play man [coverage]. They’ve got a great safety, linebackers who can run, excellent pass rush. They held Oregon to 16 points and they were really good in the red zone against Oregon, so it’s probably as good of a defense as we’ll see all year.”

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Nebraska

Tigers Top Flip Target Locks in Commitment with Nebraska

Published

21 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Tigers Top Flip Target Locks in Commitment with Nebraska

Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri football staff have compiled the No. 20 ranked recruiting class in the nation up to this point, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

The Tigers hoped to add to that class with the addition of 4-Star safety Jeremiah Jones from Murray, Kentucky, but the talented defender had other ideas.

Despite taking a visit to Columbia last week and speaking highly of his time in Missouri, Jones locked in his commitment to Nebraska this week with a post on social media.

No Ian flippin 🌽🌽 #GBR
— Jeremiah Jones (@thejjones7) November 22, 2024
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Jones is rated as the No. 4 player in the state of Kentucky and is the No. 35 safety in the nation, according to 247Sports. He committed to Nebraska in July of this year, joining the Cornhuskers’ 21st ranked recruiting class. As just a sophomore at Murray High School in Kentucky, Jones compiled an impressive 97 tackles and five interceptions.

Nebraska has struggled in recent weeks after a hot start that saw them jump out to a 5-1 record. The Cornhuskers now sit at 5-5 after dropping four straight games to conference opponents, but still have a chance at bowl eligibility with games remaining against Wisconsin and Iowa.

Head coach Matt Rhule put together a strong recruiting class in 2024, headlined by 5-Star quarterback Dylan Raiola, that finished in the top-20 in the nation. As it stands now, Nebraska looks to be in position once again to secure a top-20 class potentially.

Despite missing out on the flip, Drinkwitz and Missouri are also still in play for one of the nation’s top classes. The Tigers finished 20th in the country in 2024, and are still in position to do so again.

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