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June 28, 2019

CONTACT:  James  Honerman, 651-284-5313 or james.honerman@state.mn.us.


Minnesota employees and their employers will benefit from nearly $2.9 million in state grants to fund employment-based dual training for 664 current and new employees as part of the Minnesota PIPELINE Program.

The PIPELINE Programs' Dual Training Grants, which were included in Gov. Tim Walz's budget, give dual trainees the opportunity to earn while they learn and help businesses meet their workforce needs. Four industries with in-demand, high-growth occupations are eligible to receive grants:  advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care services and information technology.

"We are hearing remarkable stories of employees not only completing their education, but also being promoted and prepared for supervisory positions as the result of the PIPELINE Program," said Commissioner Dennis Olson, Office of Higher Education (OHE). "Dual Training Grants are a successful model for both the employee and the employer."

This year, 43 of the new grants are being awarded to companies located in greater Minnesota, with 17 in the metro area. Employees will earn a wide variety of industry-recognized degrees, certificates and credentials as part of this program that will help improve their skills and advance their careers. The grants will support 35 employers' ongoing investments and robust training programs in advanced manufacturing, one in agriculture, 16 in health care and seven in information technology. In addition, one of the grantees will train employees in both advanced manufacturing and agriculture.

OHE administers the Dual Training Grant program, in collaboration with the Minnesota PIPELINE Program at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Grant funds can be used to cover the cost of dual trainees' tuition, fees and required materials for the related instruction training in PIPELINE Program occupations.

"By pairing on-the-job training with classroom learning, the PIPELINE Program provides skills for workers, while helping employers meet their workforce needs," said DLI Commissioner Nancy Leppink. "Apprenticeships and dual training continue to be important training models that successfully assist employers recruit and retain employees. We are excited to continue to support them with this eighth round of grants."

Grants are being awarded to the following Minnesota organizations.

  1. Alliance Machine, Elk River

  2. Allina Health System, New Ulm

  3. Alomere Health, Alexandria

  4. American Crystal Sugar, Moorhead

  5. Apple Tree Dental, Mounds View

  6. Art Unlimited, Angora

  7. Bedford Industries, Worthington

  8. BTD Manufacturing, Lakeville

  9. Cardinal CG Company, Northfield

  10. Cerenity Senior Care, White Bear Lake

  11. Children's Dental Services, Minneapolis

  12. Citon Computer Corporation, Duluth

  13. Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, Crosby

  14. Cybex, Owatonna

  15. Daikin Applied Air, Faribault

  16. Design Ready Controls, Brooklyn Park

  17. DeZURIK, Sartell

  18. Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato

  19. Essentia Health, Duluth

  20. Fairview Health Services, St. Paul

  21. Goodwill Industries, St. Paul

  22. Greater Bemidji, Bemidji

  23. Homecrest Outdoor Living, Wadena

  24. Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, Rochester

  25. Iron River Construction, Chaska

  26. Iron Shoe Farm, Princeton

  27. JBS, Worthington

  28. Jones Metal, Mankato

  29. K&G Manufacturing, Faribault

  30. Kahler Automation, Fairmont

  31. Mankato Clinic, Mankato

  32. McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Dodge Center

  33. Mechanical Systems, Dundas

  34. NewTeam, Forest Lake

  35. Nidec, Mankato

  36. Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester

  37. Our Lady of Guadalupe Free Clinic, Worthington

  38. Pentair Flow Technologies, New Brighton

  39. Pequot Tool & Manufacturing, Pequot Lakes

  40. Post Consumer Brands, Northfield

  41. Reell Precision Manufacturing, St. Paul

  42. Sage Electrochromics, Faribault

  43. Sanford Health, Worthington and Bemidji

  44. Sappi, Cloquet

  45. Seneca Foods Corporation, LeSueur

  46. SFC Global Supply Chain, Marshall

  47. Spectro Alloys Corp, Rosemount

  48. St. Luke's, Duluth

  49. Standard Iron & Wire Works, Monticello

  50. Syvantis Technologies, Baxter

  51. The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Brainerd

  52. Thomson Reuters, Eagan

  53. Touchstone Mental Health, Minneapolis

  54. Trex Commercial Products, Brooklyn Park

  55. Ultra Machining Company, Monticello

  56. Vital Images, Minnetonka

  57. V-TEK, Mankato

  58. West Central Turkeys, Pelican Rapids

  59. Winegar, Waseca

  60. Yeager Machine, Norwood Young America

More information

For more information about Dual Training Grants, contact Megan FitzGibbon at 651-355-0606 or megan.fitzgibbon@state.mn.us.

For more information about the Minnesota PIPELINE Program, contact Annie Welch, PIPELINE Program manager, at 651-284-5353 or annie.welch@state.mn.us.