Minnesota Job Skills Partnership

Clients served

Andersen Corporation
Andersen Corporation will work with Dakota County Technical College to train 1,200 Anderson employees in a model of Advanced Learning Technologies program. The training program will support the company's aggressive growth. The training will enable the Andersen manufacturing team to implement tools and techniques considered essential for transforming the organization and redefining processes.

Apple Tree Dental and Health Partners Inc.
Apple Tree Dental and Health Partners will develop a dental careers training center with Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Grant will provide at-risk patients with better access to dental care by providing 373 Minneapolis urban residents with an educational pathway in the dental profession. The college and its business partners will develop a Dental Careers Task Force; create an educational plan for each trainee; redesign dental courses; and pilot entry-level and advanced training.

Arctic Cat Inc.
Arctic Cat is working with Northland Community and Technical College to provide training to 255 employees. The program will assist Arctic Cat in reducing the time to respond to change by providing training in demand flow technology and production and inventory management curriculum to 255 employees. Northland Community and Technical College will create industry-specific certificates and develop a manufacturing technology degree.

Axis MN
MJSP partner: Century College.

Brenton Engineering
This grant will support advanced packaging automation and motion control training for 150 Brenton Engineering employees. The company, a world leader in the packaging industry, anticipates adding 24 jobs over the three-year grant period. MJSP partner: Alexandria Technical College.

Broin Companies
This grant will provide 150 Broin Companies managers, assistants, operators, controllers, supervisors and maintenance staff training in environmental and safety issues for the ethanol industry. In addition, SCTC will work with the company to create a global environment and safety management training program. MJSP partner: South Central College.

Chart Industries, Inc.
Chart Industries is a global manufacturer of specialized equipment for low-temperature cryogenic applications. The company has plants located in 12 states and in 5 foreign countries. They are now in the process of an internal restructuring that may result in the relocation of 40 jobs to the New Prague plant. Cryogenics is a demanding discipline that requires skilled welding and metal technology. Chart now trains all of their employees internally, a process that takes about 18 months to complete. There are no schools in the southern part of Minnesota that offer welding or metal work training. This project, designed in partnership with South Central College, will provide specialized welding, pressure piping, and metal work training to 190 Chart employees that will result in greater plant efficiencies and a likelihood of additional job growth at the New Prague facility.

ConAgra
Production workers at the ConAgra Store Brands Lakeville facility will be trained in five categories, including mechanical-electrical operator; production line operations; troubleshooting with newer technologies; lead technical supervisors; and office operations. In a move to retain its technical workforce and close the skills gap, 492 employees will take courses in robotics, operator technician, and machine operations in addition to online courses in safety and production. This program is designed in partnership with Dakota County Technical College.

Crestliner, Inc.
This grant will assist Little Falls' fourth largest employer to implement and maintain a formal quality management system. About 423 employees, including sales, purchasing, customer service and quality manager, will earn continuing education units for training. In addition, Crestliner plans to hire over 30 employees during the two-year grant. MJSP partner: Central Lakes College.

Dacon Manufacturing Company
MJSP partner: St. Paul College.

DBI
This grant will provide 228 DBI production, maintenance and administrative employees with training in leadership and lean manufacturing. MJSP partner: Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical.

Douglas Machine
Douglas Machine manufactures equipment and hardware for customer-specific packaging needs on a worldwide basis. They serve customers throughout the United States and in more than 30 foreign countries. Douglas Machine is accelerating their plans to manufacture and market an expanded line of fast, modular, automated packaging machines. In order to keep pace with their manufacturing processes, they need to integrate automation technologies into new machine design and expand their customer service structure and communication systems. This project, designed in partnership with Alexandria Technical College, will benefit supervisory and management staff directly and will also give Douglas Machine a competitive advantage in terms of customer service and product design. Alexandria Technical College has established itself as the regional center for automation and motion control manufacturing processes.

Electrolux
The Electrolux manufacturing facility in St. Cloud produces refrigerators and freezer chests and employs 680 workers. In order to maintain its competitive position in the Electrolux Group, the St. Cloud facility needs to update manufacturing processes with a better trained workforce that can produce high quality goods at lower costs. Absent this, there is a good possibility that the company may relocate this production facility to a plant in China. This project, designed in partnership with St. Cloud State University, will help the St. Cloud facility improve its workforce at all levels, from basic manufacturing operations to senior management. The training will include elements on plant layout, quality production, ergonomics, automation, diversity and leadership.

Fairview Health Services
Fairview Health Services is working with Normandale Community College to develop training for 190 technicians in various imaging specialties to create a path to career advancement. The program will provide classroom and clinical experience to certified radiologic technologists.

Fairview Health Systems
This grant, developed in partnership with Century College, will allow Fairview University Medical Center to establish a new interpreter/translator program; create a language and culture institute; and develop a strategic plan for the future of interpretive services at their metro-area hospitals and clinics. About 225 employees will be trained to provide on-call interpretive services.

Federal Cartridge
MJSP partner: Anoka Technical College.

FLOE International, Inc.
This grant will support lean manufacturing training and an internal apprenticeship program for 188 CNC operators, programmers, engineers, manufacturing workers and supervisors in the company's two locations north of McGregor and Hoyt Lakes. MJSP partner: Pine Technical College.

Ford Motor Company
This grant will provide training in continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and Six Sigma for 2,085 St. Paul plant employees. MJSP partner: St. Paul College.

Hitchcock Industries
This grant will help Hitchcock Industries, supplier to the aerospace industry, create a 'visual workplace.' About 369 employees will receive training. Visual Power English, an intensive visual-based conversational English program, will give Hitchcock employees immediate basic conversational skills. MJSP partner: Normandale Community College.

Honeywell
Honeywell Minneapolis and Coon Rapids develop, manufacture and integrate sensor technologies that aid in navigation. Advanced technical skills training, leadership, and project management will be provided by Hennepin Technical College for 100 current and 300 new engineers, managers, and operators.

Industrial Louvers
MJSP partner: St. Paul College.

JDS Uniphase
JDS Uniphase is an international company and a global leader in the field of optical technology and fiber optic communications. In order for JDS Uniphase to compete on a global basis and keep its Rochester plant operating, the company needs to develop an ongoing training and staffing plan that will upgrade the skill levels of existing employees as well as new hires. This grant, developed in partnership with Rochester Community and Technical College, will assist in training 127 engineers, technicians, nontechnicians and managers in eight major topic areas: Fiber optics, statistics and design, advanced topics, cadence, advanced fiber optics, labview, instrumentation and safety.

K-Mart Corporation
Dakota County Technical College designed this program to help K-Mart implement a new warehouse management system for the distribution facility in Shakopee, which serves their retail stores in the mid-west region. K-Mart recently emerged from bankruptcy and must modernize its obsolete product distribution process in order to remain competitive in the retail industry. The project will provide both entry level and advanced level training to 306 employees at the Shakopee facility.

L&M Radiator
L&M Radiator is working with Hibbing Community College, to provide training to more than 250 employees with a range of training from entry-level to advanced training in the latest welding technology. The college will develop welding apprenticeship and industrial awareness programs. In addition, L&M Radiator anticipates hiring more than 70 new employees over the three-year project.

Metro Dentalcare
Metro Dentalcare offers a complete range of routine and specialized dental health services through its group practice of 20 clinics in the Twin Cities metro area. The organization is working with Normandale Community College to provide training for 470 employees in expanded dental functions will advance the skills level of dental hygienists and dental assistants. The program will create career new career paths and higher compensation for additional responsibilities.

Mid-Continent Engineering
This grant will assist Mid-Continent Engineering in attaining accreditation in manufacturing processes to remain a supplier to the aerospace industry and provide technical training to 213 employees. MJSP partner: Pine Technical College.

Minnesota Elevator
Minnesota Elevator is working with South Central College to provide 141 employees with training in Pro Engineering software. The training program will enable the company to use more technology, increase quality and reduce delivery time to remain competitive. Students enrolled in South Central College's machine tool technology program will also have access to the software.

Modular Computing & Communications
MJSP partner: Rochester Community and Technical College.

North Memorial Health Care, Regions Hospital, Mercy and Unity Hospitals
This grant will assist the nursing consortium develop an accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing and specific continuing education for nurses and other health professionals. Of 2,500 trainees, 2,470 will earn credit certificates, and 30 will earn a BSN degree. MJSP partner: Metropolitan State University.

Northwest Regional Health Alliance
About 228 employees of Northwest Minnesota healthcare employers will receive training in lean healthcare practices and continuous improvement. MJSP partner: Northland Community and Technical College.

Omni-Tract Surgical
Omni-Tract Surgical is a small, growing company in White Bear Lake that makes surgical retractors and other medical technology devices. Working with Century College, the company is providing a range of training in CAD/CAM, work teams assessment and other areas to 45 employees to help the company compete.

Progress Casting Group, Inc.
This grant will fund training for 572 employees in four specific areas, including best safety practices; machine tear down and maintenance and total preventive maintenance; occupational English and intercultural communication skills; and foundry orientation and operations. MJSP partner: Pine Technical College.

Red Wing Shoe Company
This grant will help the Red Wing-based footwear manufacturer implement a make-to-order process by training 508 employees in Six Sigma, lean overview, value stream mapping, and total productive maintenance. MJSP partner: Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical.

Reell Precision Manufacturing Corporation
This grant will support four areas of training for 206 precision-manufacturing employees, including adult learning styles, coworker foundation skills, workforce diversity, and Lean Sigma. The project will impact Reell's productivity and coworker skill enhancement. MJSP partner: Century College.

Rural Cellular Corporation
Rural Cellular is receiving high-level training for more over 390 administrative, executive and frontline employees to support the company's integration of new technology, systems and long-term relationships with other providers to stabilize roaming revenue in rural Minnesota. It's anticipated Rural Cellular Corporation will hire 34 employees as a result of this workforce-development project.

Schmidt
Located in Byron, Schmidt is the area's largest commercial print shop and one of the largest insert card printers in the United State. Training for 171 employees will include web offset press training, advanced web operations, and bindery training. MJSP partner: Rochester Community and Technical College.

Sensor Systems, Goodrich Corporation
This grant will assist Sensor Systems enter the homeland security market by supporting training in optical and laser technology for 164 employees. MJSP partner Inver Hills Community College.

Steinwall, Inc.
Steinwall is working with Anoka Technical College to provide about 140 of its manufacturing employees with basic manufacturing skills, such as blueprint reading, quality measurement, and auditing techniques.

Synovis Interventional Solutions, Inc.
Synovis Solutions, Inc. is a research, design and manufacturing business that specializes in the medical device industry. The company is located in Lino Lakes and employees 342 workers. The medical device/biomedical industry is highly competitive and continually changing. Ongoing training is required to keep staff current with new products and new production techniques. This project, designed in partnership with Anoka-Ramsey Community College, is designed to benefit all 342 employees, including production, engineering, analytical and managerial levels. The project will result in the development of permanent training resources that will benefit the company in future years as they continue to grow.

Top Tool Company
Anoka-Ramsey Community College was awarded $49,444 grant to fund advanced training and retraining for 36 Top Tool managers, administrative support and sales staff, designers, estimators, engineers, production leads, foremen, operators, toolmakers, and machinists.

Toro Manufacturing Company
Uniform training in lean manufacturing will be given to 1,875 Toro employees with the grant. MJSP partner: Dakota County Technical College.

TriVirix
TriVirix is a small contract manufacturing services company located in Mille Lacs County. Previously a wholly owned unit of Medtronic, Inc., the Milaca plant was sold to TriVirix International in 2002. The company is working with St. Cloud State University to provide entry-level and advanced training to 100 employees. d advanced training to 100 employees. Students enrolled in engineering management and manufacturing engineering programs will have the opportunity to work at TriVirix as on-the-job trainers.

UV Color
UV Color employees more than 200 workers at their two facilities in Roseville. The company started business in 1993 and specializes in utilizing new techniques for high volume printing on plastic surfaces using UV inks, coatings and curing processes. This project, designed in partnership with Saint Paul College, will provide training to all existing employees and approximately 50 new hires during the next two years. Training will focus on methods of information transfer and wireless communications in virtually all manufacturing operations from the shop floor to technical engineering and design.

Wedding and Greeting Entrepreneurial Business Taylor Corporation
This grant will assist the Taylor Corporation to implement an Entrepreneurial Lean Six Sigma program; in all, 1,980 employees will receive training. Wedding and Greeting Entrepreneurial Business employees will have opportunities for personal development, recognition, and internal designations. MJSP partner: Normandale Community College.

We-no-nah Canoe, Inc.
We-no-nah Canoe is working with Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical to provide 125 production, maintenance, office and management employees with training in composite technology, lean manufacturing, and soft skills such as communication, writing and teamwork. Staff training will be required to implement process documentation and a new business information system. Relocation of the Canadian division to Winona is expected to add over 50 new positions.

Wilson Tool International
This grant will help create Wilson Tool University and a succession planning system. About 481 machinists, managers, engineers, and manufacturing and technical staff will receive training. MJSP partner: St. Paul College.

Wyoming Machine
This grant will serve 74 current and 84 new employees of a small, family-owned manufacturer of fabricated sheet metal components located in Stacy. The training program being proposed by Wyoming Machine and Pine Technical College can best be described as corrective action in response to recent failure. The customized curriculum and training will include documenting the true cost of quality and continuous improvement; eliminating scrap and waste; performance accountability and visual management.

Xcel Energy
This grant will assist Xcel Energy move to e-learning, as they implement a computerized outage management system to be placed in 200 to 300 trucks. MJSP partner Inver Hills Community College.