“6 Regions, One Nebraska” grant aims to meet community college needs

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - The “6 Regions, One Nebraska” grant is a partnership between the Department of Economic Development, the Nebraska Chamber, and the governor’s office aimed at boosting economic development within the Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) region.

The six regions include various community colleges across the state.

Ryan Purdy, president of MPCC, explained that 18 counties are part of the same region as North Platte Community College, each with unique needs.

“Housing is the number one focus of the entire area,” Purdy said. “We need housing, we need people and we need workers. Our north campus specifically is made up of the trade programs, building construction, electrical, HVAC, welding, automation and all of those types of things really go into the construction of houses and commercial development.”

Regional navigators, like Emily Wurl, travel across their designated region to identify and meet the needs of even the smallest communities served by nearby community colleges.

“We started out with some large group meetings, but now, working with these planning consultants, we will be going to smaller communities around our area and utilizing some of the extended campuses that Mid-Plains has in order to bring people to the table,” Wurl said. “That way, we’re hearing from communities that are quite small, 200 people, 100 people sometimes and up to what North Platte would be.”

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