On December 16, 2014, Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Workforce Innovation Network (MSPWin) announced grants made to develop career pathways for low-income adults.

MSPWin granted International Institute $400,000 to implement a College Readiness Academy, a new educational model to help college-bound adults with barriers to build the skills needed for college. Saint Paul College, Saint Paul Community Literacy Consortium (SPCLC), the Hubbs Center, Neighborhood House and Guadalupe Alternative Programs are partners on the grant.

“We are excited about this funding and thank MSPWin for this strategic investment. We look forward to serving as an active partner on this initiative and to improve college readiness, reducing students remedial education coursework, and accelerating time to graduation for our students,” said Rassoul Dastmozd, President/CEO of Saint Paul College.

According to SPCLC, the Academy will include 16-week, Tier 1 classes at the SPCLC sites, and 10-week Tier 2 classes at the College. Two fulltime navigators will work with students to increase their odds of success. The program will be available to students who already have - or are close to receiving - a GED or high school diploma. The three SPCLC partners are already working to establish common benchmarks and related curriculum for their College Prep classes. ​

Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Workforce Innovation Network (MSPWin) is a philanthropic collaborative formed in 2013 to strengthen the workforce in the seven-county Minneapolis Saint Paul region through 2020. They seek to dramatically increase the number of adults earning family-sustaining wages, especially people of color.

For the full news release about the grant from MSPWin, go to http://mspwin.org/2014/12/17/mspwin-awards-two-grants/ ​