Local Look blogs: Career and Technical Education

Local Look Blog

Each month, DEED's Regional Analysis & Outreach unit produces a series of blogs exploring local labor market information. Please contact your regional analyst for more information. 

Central Minnesota: The rocks and numerous stone manufacturers along Hwy. 23 are the result of large granite deposits in the Central region. There's also a concentration of related businesses to support the nonmetallic mining. Granite quarries have operated here since the 1880s, giving St. Cloud the nickname, "Granite City."

Twin Cities Metro:  Among the numerous holidays and awareness events in the month, February also happens to be Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month in Minnesota. In 2016, nearly 250,000 Minnesota high school and college students enrolled in CTE courses focusing on these career fields, clusters, and pathways.

Northeast Minnesota: Northeast boasts over 40 Computer Systems Design and Related Services businesses providing 650 jobs and over $11 million in quarterly payroll, up from just 261 jobs back in 2000. About 83 percent of those jobs are located in Duluth. 

Northwest Minnesota: Broadband infrastructure continues to be a regular topic of discussion in Northwest Minnesota, with leaders encouraging broadband investment in underserved areas that are eager to keep pace with the rapid increase in technological capacity

Southeast MinnesotaSoutheast Minnesota has recently enjoyed a stretch of amazingly warm weather. While snowfall is still to be expected, the region is reaching the point in the year where seasonal work begins to "spring" back, including employment in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Southwest Minnesota: Although often overlooked as a STEM industry, health care obviously relies on science and technology. With just over 30,500 jobs at more than 1,000 different establishments, health care and social assistance provides more than 1 in every 6 jobs in the Southwest region, requiring a skilled workforce to provide quality services and care.