AIM Institute’s Infotec 2025 conference was a great success! Close to 300 people, joined by representatives from over 20 companies and small businesses, attended the event at the Kiewit Luminarium on Omaha’s riverfront. 

Infotec bridges the gap between business and technology leaders. Participants had positive responses about the speakers and sessions, which covered a range of topics including AI automation, emerging technologies, cyber security and risk management, workforce development and data and business analysis.

AIM’s events connect the region’s technology professionals for networking, workshops and continued education. Save the date for AIM’s Heartland Developers Conference (HDC), a mainstay in the Silicon Prairie developer community for more than 15 years. HDC is September 30-October 1, 2025, at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. For two days, experts share the latest knowledge, demonstrate new techniques and build understanding.

Graduates from AIM Institute’s Open Door Mission Digital Skills for Career Advancement Course

In late April, AIM Institute’s Tech Access program honored the achievements of students from its Open Door Mission Digital Skills for Career Advancement course, where students learn relevant, modern skills useful to adapt to today’s workforce.

Additionally, AIM Code School, accredited by the State of Nebraska Dept of Education, graduated its Winter 2025 Foundations of Web Development and Foundations of Technology cohorts, where students gain real-world, hands-on programming skills to take the next step in their respective career fields.

AIM’s technical training programs are more than just classes, they are catalysts for transformation. Each course opens doors to new possibilities and brighter futures. We’re proud to support and celebrate our students as they take the next step in their career journeys. Congratulations to all our graduates!

AIM President and CEO Dala Alphonso and MacKenzie Broderick, AIM Director of Outreach, help students at the AIM Educational Opportunity Center in Scottsbluff, Neb. work on the college application process.

The AIM Institute would like to thank the Oregon Trail Community Foundation, which awarded AIM with a $4,000 grant. The funding will be utilized to purchase iPads and laptops for student use at the AIM Educational Opportunity Center in Scottsbluff, Neb., as well as a charging cart and cabinet to secure this necessary equipment.  

The AIM Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) is the only resource in western Nebraska dedicated solely to assisting youth and families with the entire college application, financial aid and admissions process.

AIM’s EOC serves more than 1,000 individuals annually through one-on-one appointments, in-school presentations and small-group assistance. The program helps first-generation, under-resourced students apply to college and helps them understand the possibilities of a tech career offering high-wage, high-demand, high-skill (H3) technology careers.

AIM is proud to have Bellevue University as a part of AIM’s Membership program.

Bellevue University is committed to delivering career-focused, affordable education with unmatched care and respect for every learner. Its mission reflects a deep dedication to student success, and its vision embraces the ever-evolving needs of the global workforce.

At Bellevue University, students are the heart of everything. Every degree earned represents a powerful individual who dared to dream big and take steps toward a brighter future. As a nonprofit, open-access university, Bellevue University is designed to support those dreams, helping students transform their passion into purpose.

The AIM membership is for organizations that want to hire new tech talent, upskill their teams, help promote tech as a rewarding career path, and are passionate about leveraging tech for economic development. There are other promotional benefits for organizations that have an AIM membership. To learn more, contact Blaine Nelson, bnelson@nullaiminstitute.org.

Omaha-area elementary school students participating in 3v3 Robot Soccer.

Over 30 teams of young engineers from six Omaha-area elementary schools programmed robots that competed at the Kennedy Robotics Invitational, held at Howard Kennedy Elementary School on March 29. AIM Institute’s Isaac Piper, Director of Innovation, helped design the event for students to explore, wonder and build a passion for STEAM.

While the focus remained on learning and growing, there was a fun, competitive edge for students. For example, students programmed robots for the Code, Navigate & Deliver competition, where robots navigated a course to pick up a package and return it to a warehouse. Other students demonstrated their skills at the Drone-agility Course, where students flew their drones through a timed competition course. There also was 3v3 Robot Soccer—competitors used an iPad and controlled robots to score points in a soccer match. 

The event was a collaboration between Howard Kennedy Elementary’s STEAM program, the AIM Institute and MCC’s STEM Program. AIM is a long-time community partner of Kennedy Elementary School. In addition to helping create the competitions, Piper helped students program their robots. AIM representatives judged the teams and provided assistance at the event.