DEED Awards Three Workforce Development Grants to Minnesota State University Mankato

For Immediate Release                                 Contact: Madeline Koch, 651-259-7236
November 5, 2014                                         Madeline.Koch@state.mn.us

DEED Awards Three Workforce Development Grants to Minnesota State University Mankato
~More than 1,000 Firmenich, Michael Foods and Truck Bodies & Equipment International employees receive training to meet business needs~

ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded three grants totaling $506,688 under the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) to Minnesota State University Mankato to train hundreds of Firmenich, Michael Foods, Inc., and Truck Bodies & Equipment International, Inc. employees in Mankato.

The MJSP works strategically with both businesses and educational institutions to train or retrain workers, expand work opportunities and keep high-quality jobs in the state. With support from Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program has awarded $23.5 million since 2011 to train 30,535 workers and has leveraged $56.4 million in private funding. 

“The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program is working to address the needs of our businesses by aligning higher education institutions to provide customized training for their workers,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. “These highly collaborative partnerships create substantive learning opportunities for workers and form a stepping stone for career advancement.”

The MJSP grants include:

Minnesota State University Mankato, Firmenich - $49,697
Firmenich is the largest privately-owned company in the perfume and flavor business with more than 6,000 employees in 64 countries. Minnesota State College Mankato will partner with the business to develop and deliver training for 93 employees at the New Ulm manufacturing location. Training will include Six Sigma Green Belt and leadership skills. New Ulm will be Firmenich’s first plant worldwide to have achieved Green Belt Six Sigma status. As a result of the grant, Minnesota State College Mankato will expand their Six Sigma and leadership courses.
Contact: Jan Bauer, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 507-389-1094

Minnesota State University Mankato, Michael Foods and Northern Star Co. - $300,000
A customized training program will be delivered to 771 employees over a three-year period. Training will allow the company to increase productivity and meet customer demand; employees will acquire new skills, increase their marketability and have the opportunity to advance within the company. Minnesota State University Mankato will gain knowledge in the agricultural food processing industry and Mechatronics through the partnership. Northern Star Co., a potato processing plant in Chaska, is a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Contact: Jan Bauer, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 507-389-1094 

Minnesota State University Mankato, Truck Bodies & Equipment International, Inc. - $156,991
Truck Bodies & Equipment International consists of five leading manufacturers of dump bodies, landscape bodies, platforms, hoists and truck and trailer equipment and accessories. The company will partner with Minnesota State University, Mankato to develop customized training to 145 current and 75 new employees. The training is expected to improve the company’s efficiency and sustainability. Employees will acquire new skills that will increase their marketability and give them the opportunity to advance within the company.
Contact: Jan Bauer, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 507-389-1094

DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at http://mn.gov/deed/. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/mndeed.

  

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Upon request, this information can be made available in alternate formats for people with disabilities by contacting the DEED Communications Office at 651-259-7161.

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Communications Office
Phone 651/259-7149 or 1-800-657-3858  TTY 1-800-657-3973
http://mn.gov/deed
An equal opportunity employer and service provider.