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Saint Paul College A Community & Technical College

DEED Seeks to Align Minnesota Workforce and Business Needs

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded more than $3.3 million in grants to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the College of St. Scholastica to train 4,482 current and new employees of 34 businesses.

The grants were awarded under the agency’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program. The program works strategically with both businesses and educational institutions to train or retrain workers, expand work opportunities and keep high-quality jobs in the state. In this grant round, the program leveraged about $6.8 million from partners. 

As with all of the other Colleges and Universities in the MnSCU system, Saint Paul College plays a vital role in serving the dynamic workforce needs of our communities, businesses and industries. “I am excited about these funding opportunities and initiatives. They are giving us the opportunity to expand the reaches of our college by partnering with local companies and trade unions, and better prepare our constituencies to earn a livable wage and secure gainful employment,” said Saint Paul College President, Rassoul Dastmozd. “Generating livable wage means economic development for our community and the students we serve at the College.”​ 

“As we seek to address the future needs of our workforce in Minnesota, we are striving to better align our current workers with the demands of our businesses,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. “To date, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program has trained over 260,000 Minnesotans, and will continue to provide support for the evolving needs of our businesses statewide.”

Saint Paul College was the recipient of two of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grants:

Saint Paul College, Gopher Resource in Eagan - $49,958
Gopher Resource Corporation does advanced recycling of lead-acid batteries, lead bearing wastes and related products. New and customized courses for 62 employees include Mechanical, Pneumatics, and Hydraulics Training, Training Within Industry (TWI) Job Instruction, Standard Work Process, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Application of TWI Training to TPM.
Contact: Paul Dalton, Saint Paul College, 651-846-1429

Saint Paul College, Construction Consortium - $365,873
Sixteen construction industry partners, Saint Paul College, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council will work as a collaborative to develop and implement the “Skills Trades Pipeline Project-Trades Up” project to prepare 140 individuals to enter apprenticeship programs. Recruitment will focus on lower-income women, minority groups and veterans. Under-represented populations will have greater access to opportunities in the construction trades, and Saint Paul College’s capacity to train and certify trainees for quicker entry in the trades will be increased.
Contact:  Cheryl Beaumier, Saint Paul College, 651-846-1438

DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and their services, visit http://mn.gov/deed/.​


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