ST. PAUL, MN –Today, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced it has awarded 13 workforce development grants totaling nearly $2.2 million under the Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership (MJSP) to assist businesses and educational institutions in training workers to keep high-quality jobs in the state. These grants were awarded by the MJSP board on October 25th.
“Minnesota’s economic innovation and growth is a result of our strong workforce,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids). “When we invest in the training tools our businesses need to stay competitive, everyone has the chance to be successful and thrive in our state.”
Businesses and educational institutions work together to secure MJSP funding for training their Minnesota workers. First, businesses meet with an accredited educational institution to explain their training needs and learn about their options. Then, after the two groups have agreed upon how to meet the business’s training needs, the educational institution contacts DEED to determine eligibility for a grant.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College is partnering with Choice Bank to provide 49 of its employees with Value Stream Mapping (VSM) training. The grant of $49,759 in training includes developing basic VSM concepts and applying those concepts in training workshops.
Anoka-Ramsey is also partnering with Toy’n Around (TNA), a Minnesota business that has more than doubled its employment in the last two years, which has created a need to train its new staff in the business system. To address these needs, a workforce development grant of $49,269 will go toward training resources.
The next application deadline is January 24th and grants will be awarded at the March 7th MJSP meeting.
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