Neighbors lose jobs, Grants to Hire/Train Them

With every challenge comes opportunity. The change in commodity prices (corn, soybeans, and oil and gas) are beginning to take a toll on some of our local employers. Tough decisions have had to be made, and employers have had to let good people go. Some of our friends, family members, and neighbors are looking for a new job.

If you are a Phelps County business owner or manager, you know that one of our county’s greatest challenges has been our low unemployment rate. Some of you have been seeking just that right candidate for a job that’s been open for some time. NOW is the time to get serious about filling that opening. While there may be candidates hungry to seek out that special position you have, no one knows what they don’t know.

Get your feelers out there. Turn your existing employees into bounty hunters. Advertise your position. Get it in both of the Phelps County newspapers. Get it on the radio. Put it on your website. Post it on Facebook and boost it to people with addresses in Atlanta, Bertrand, Funk, Holdrege, and Loomis. Call a temp agency to see if they’ve got local clients. Inquire about getting your job posted on the Holdrege Chamber’s website.

Are you hiring someone that needs a CDL? Are you a manufacturer? Is there a logistics component to one of your openings? If so, you can get some financial assistance to train individuals who have been displaced by layoffs or veterans returning from service. Click here for more information and agency contact information.

These are tough times, but they don’t have to be. This is an opportunity for Phelps County to shine. This is an opportunity to keep our talent and our neighbors here, for our business community to step up and find openings for those displaced and grow our community — together. They don’t have to leave to find a great job!