Leading CareerForce partner Career Solutions, an employment and training organization that serves Stearns and Benton counties, was awarded a Minnesota Drive for 5 Initiative Competitive Grant through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The Drive for 5 Workforce Initiative is a major new effort to prepare more Minnesotans for high-demand jobs in five occupational categories: the caring professions, education, manufacturing, technology and the trades.
Career Solutions is focusing on the manufacturing sector for the Greater St. Cloud Area. Drive for 5 prioritizes training for populations that face the largest disparities in employment: people of color, people with disabilities, people who lack stable housing and other people who face barriers to family-sustaining employment.
The occupational categories selected to be part of Drive for 5 are projected to be high growth in the years ahead and provide family-sustaining wages for workers. Drive for 5 will benefit Minnesotans who want to join the labor force in these in-demand fields and who need training and employment assistance. It will benefit Minnesota’s economy by preparing people for in-demand careers and meeting the needs of employers.
“We are excited to launch our Manufacturing Certificate Training program in this high-growth industry this fall that will help lead Central Minnesota job seekers into family sustainable wage careers in manufacturing,” said Career Solutions Executive Director Tammy Biery. “Central Minnesota is a manufacturing powerhouse; this will be good for our workers, our employers and our economy.”
Career Solutions Drive for 5 Manufacturing Certificate Training includes:
- Intro to Manufacturing
- Safety Awareness
- Quality Practice
- Hand & Power Tools
- Maintenance Awareness, Processes, & Production
Participants will earn certificates in OSHA 10, Forklift Certification and an 8-Credit Manufacturing Foundations Certificate from Career Solutions' training partner, St. Cloud Technical and Community College. To learn more about this program, contact Career Solutions at 320-308-5320. Employers interested in connecting with these prospective workers are also encouraged to reach out to Career Solutions.
About Career Solutions: The Local Workforce Development Board, along with the Joint Powers Board, is responsible for the policy guidance and oversight of all job training and job placement activities in Stearns and Benton Counties. Since its beginning in 1988, Career Solutions has provided quality employment and training services to youth and adults and is dedicated to increasing the economic vitality of the Central Minnesota Area. Career Solutions aids in building a skilled workforce – workers who can do the jobs of today and learn the jobs of tomorrow.
