Through this initiative, students who are in the final semester of their nursing program are given the option to complete course requirements on an expedited timeline so they can graduate early.
Governor Mike Dunleavy signed House Bill 308 and Senate Bill 74—two major pieces of legislation providing for expanded unemployment benefits in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and doubling minimum internet speeds at Alaska’s schools.
Most experts indicate that the Last Frontier has turned the corner and in 2020 will claw its way out of the recession that started several years ago. However, the recovery is not expected to be uniform, as Anchorage remains in recession and many of the impacts of the state’s budget cuts have yet to play out.
In order to help meet the challenge of educating and training Alaska’s workforce, the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) works closely with local industries to constantly align its programs. UAA’s Community & Technical College, for instance, offers one, two, and four-year degrees in high-demand areas such as aviation, hospitality, construction, safety, computer technology, automotive, diesel, and welding. Each program has its own volunteer industry advisory board.
Alaska’s only tribal college, located in America’s northernmost municipality, has an opportunity for an educational leader at Iḷisaġvik College, one of the top ten community colleges in the nation.
Newly released data for the first half of 2019 show total wages up $355 million from the first half of 2018, with increases in all of Alaska’s major industries and sectors. The 4.0 percent wage growth exceeded inflation, which was 2.6 percent over the period.
Alaska’s employment was up an estimated 0.6 percent in September, or 2,000 jobs, from September 2018. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.2 percent while the comparable national rate dipped to 3.5 percent.
A new National Park Service report shows that 2,920,250 visitors to national parks in Alaska spent $1.36 billion in the state in 2018, resulting in 17,760 jobs and a cumulative economic benefit of more than $1.98 billion.
The Internal Revenue Service urges taxpayers who work multiple jobs or who may be adding summer employment to complete a Paycheck Checkup.
Elected officials join business leaders to announce Alaska as leading maritime state.