ST. PAUL – State Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, introduced legislation Monday that would provide $650,000 in funding to help retrain dislocated employees as Electrolux ceases its St. Cloud operation.
The recipient of the funding, Career Solutions of St. Cloud, would use the funding for retraining efforts including computer literacy, GED achievement, and training in the manufacturing and construction trades.
“This bill will help ensure that those being laid off by Electrolux have as much time as possible to get training for a new job,” Knoblach said. “By getting an early start now we can hopefully have employees trained to start new good jobs when the plant closes at the end of 2019.”
The money would come from the dislocated worker fund, a fund which employers pay into for training dislocated workers. The bill is scheduled for its first House hearing Wednesday, before the Jobs Committee.
The bill (H.F. 4342) is co-authored by area Republican Reps. Tama Theis of St. Cloud, Tim O’Driscoll of Sartell, Jeff Howe of Rockville, and Jim Newberger of Becker. St. Cloud Republican Jerry Relph is the chief author of the Senate companion.
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