Friends of Saint Paul College was awarded a grant of $150,000 in September 2015 to improve pathways to construction 职业生涯s in partnership with the Minnesota Building Trades Council, Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Minneapolis Community and 技术学院 and other job training institutions.
The project will improve pathways to construction 职业生涯s for the Twin Cities’ region by building industry sector capacity to develop a more diverse workforce for the seven-county Twin Cities’ region, and enhancing the College’s existing trade 职业生涯 readiness program called Trading Up. Trading Up is a three-year project to develop customized training paths for individuals seeking a 职业生涯 in the construction industry, 低收入者, 有色人种, 退伍军人, 和/或女性.
According to a 2014-2015 construction industry assessment conducted by Associated General Contractors of Minnesota that surveyed industry stakeholders, 92% of respondents reported that the availability of a skilled construction workforce is negatively influencing 业务 conditions. Saint Paul College’s industry 业务 partners are committed to hiring Minnesota’s workforce to meet the growing demand. Several large-scale construction projects need qualified apprentices such as the Vikings stadium, various light rail expansion projects, 梅奥诊所扩建, Mall of America expansion and St. Croix Bridge project among others.
To address these workforce needs, Saint Paul College will develop and launch the Twin Cities’ Regional Workforce Investment Sy阀杆 using a construction industry stakeholder workgroup, consisting of executive-level leaders of industry employers, unions and training institutions. The workgroup will design and implement a coordinated approach to match employer demand for a diverse skilled workforce with worker supply through job training programs and unions.
“We greatly appreciate this important investment from The McKnight 基金会, which will strengthen construction 职业生涯 pathway for the Twin Cities’ region,” said Rassoul Dastmozd, President of Saint Paul College.
