DEED Roundup-July 25, 2016

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July 25, 2016

In the News

Cultural Shift Spurs Employment Funding
KFAI Radio-7/18/16
Commissioner Hardy appeared on KFAI radio last Monday to talk about DEED equity programs that will focus on career placement, entrepreneurship and workforce training. The commissioner also talked with interviewer Brenda Bell Brown about two information sessions that were held later in the week for nonprofit groups that were interested in applying for equity program grants.

Six Takeaways from June Jobs Report
Minneapolis Star Tribune-7/22/16
The job market remains in slow-growth mode, according to figures released last Thursday by DEED. The trend is explained in part by slow growth in the labor force — the number of people either working or looking for work — which has declined by an estimated 25,000 in the past two months. The Star Tribune examined six highlights from the latest report.

Did You Know?

Graduates

Minnesota is the second-smartest state, according to a CNBC study. The business network looked at the state's education system, number of degree-granting institutions, average high school test scores, and elementary school math and reading rankings. The smartest state is Massachusetts, according to the study.

 

 

Press Releases

Man working in factory

State Gains 7,300 Jobs in June
Minnesota employers added 7,300 jobs in June, according to seasonally adjusted figures released last week by DEED. Those gains, however, were largely offset by figures from May that were revised from 1,900 jobs lost to 8,400 jobs lost. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was 3.8 percent for the fourth month in a row.

DEED Cleanup Grants Approved
Redevelopment projects that will create or retain 938 jobs have been approved for investigation and cleanup funding from DEED. The agency awarded $5.8 million from its Contamination Cleanup and Investigation Grant Program for 15 projects in the state. The funding will help pay for cleaning up or investigating pollution on those sites.

DEED Awards Job-Training Grants
DEED awarded workforce development grants totaling $1.4 million under the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership. The funding, announced last week, went to 17 training projects around the state. Nearly 1,700 current workers and new hires will take classes to upgrade their skills under the latest round of grants.

Serving Our Clients

DEED will sponsor four information sessions this week on the 2017 Workforce Housing Development Program. Meetings are set for Austin, Slayton, Perham and Grand Rapids. Get the details here.