During visits with NBA member banks, our staff often begins by asking, “What issue is keeping you awake at night?” Across banks of every size and in communities both rural and urban, one concern consistently tops the list: developing, attracting and retaining the talent our member banks need to remain competitive and profitable.
As Nebraska emerged from the COVID lockdowns, the NBA Board of Directors directed staff to develop a strategy that would position banking as the career of choice for a larger, more diverse group of young Nebraskans. The Board subsequently approved funding for a comprehensive workforce strategy, resulting in the NBA’s “Bank on Your Future” workforce development initiative. Thanks to the work of NBA staff and the support of members across the state, your NBA team now actively engages students from high school through college. The work of the Bank on Your Future team is highlighted on two websites:
1. nebankers.org/workforce
Provides member banks with practical information on how to participate in these workforce initiatives. We continue to update the website to keep it useful for human resources teams. Please contact the NBA to explore additional ways your institution can get involved.
2. bankonyourfuture.org
Helps students explore banking careers, career fairs, scholarships and internships, as well as NBA student memberships. We encourage your bank to share this site when engaging with students and parents, visiting classrooms and making community presentations.
Building on its outreach to future bankers at educational institutions across Nebraska, the NBA team also sought new ways to support the next generation of bankers already beginning their careers. For more than a decade, the NBA has maintained a Young Bankers of Nebraska (YBON) subcommittee of the Education Advisory Committee and sponsored the annual YBON Conference. This event routinely attracts more than 200 talented bankers from institutions of all sizes, representing communities from Falls City to Gordon and many places in between.
The energy and enthusiasm young bankers bring to the YBON Conference and to the industry at large are contagious. Over the past three years, the NBA team has also created dedicated educational and networking opportunities for bank interns and student employees to learn, grow and connect. These programs include events such as Young Bankers Day at the Capitol, which highlights the importance of teamwork between government relations and the banking sector.
At its recent summer meeting, the NBA Board of Directors approved the next phase of the NBA workforce strategy: establishing formal YBON memberships and a YBON Committee beginning in fiscal year 2026-2027. The Board will appoint the YBON Committee, whose members will elect a chair to hold a non-voting seat on the NBA Board. The committee’s mission will be to advise and support the NBA and the banking industry in helping young bankers pursue their professional and personal goals.
The expansion of YBON activities and programming is already underway. For example, the NBA coordinated a YBON Husker tailgate before the North Dakota game. Additional plans include lunch-and-learn sessions, virtual meetings and an online peer platform for YBON members.
More than 15,000 Nebraskans who work in banking already understand that it is a highly rewarding career choice. In cooperation with our 149 NBA member banks, the NBA team will continue showcasing banking careers to Nebraska students while supporting young bankers as they grow professionally. Together, we can encourage more Nebraskans to choose banking as their preferred career path. We invite every member bank to engage with Bank on Your Future and YBON as we build the industry’s next generation.
