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Thank you for your interest in the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County. It's the heart of the summer and the weather isn't the only thing heating up. The July newsletter features several activities and new initiatives happening in collaboration with our community partners, including the Inclusive Workplaces Cohort, a peer learning series starting in October. Take a look! |
 The Inclusive Employer Cohort is a new initiative launching in 2021 with the support of the WIB and facilitated by the Center for Economic Inclusion . This effort is in direct alignment with Ramsey County’s Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan advancing workforce inclusion to ensure as a community we are amplifying the diversity of our community as a tool for economic growth. Through the program, CEI will create a learning environment that fosters a forum for discussing and sharing of ideas, while encouraging accountability through safe and brave spaces for confidentiality.
Attend an information session on July 29 or August 2. To register and to get additional information about the cohort, visit the Inclusive Workplaces Cohort webpage.
Applications are due on Friday August 6!
The digital transformation is happening in Construction, and it intersects with the greening of the industry. Nationally and locally, the Construction Industry experienced tumultuous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding global economic slowdown, including project delays, materials shortage, and layoffs. Technology is not new to the Construction Industry; however, with a reduced headcount and tight profit margins, the adoption of new technology tools accelerated during the pandemic. Advances in technology make Green Construction sustainable by making construction generally more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and safer.
The greening of the industry and technological advancements have differentially impacted and, in some cases, redefined Construction occupations. As technology innovations are integrated into construction project management tools and construction tasks, technology-based skills become a part of construction occupations. John O’Phelan from Ramsey County Workforce Solutions stresses the imperative of “developing, retraining, and retaining the workforce to support the future skills that match technological trends” and adds that Construction talent “need[s] continuous lifelong training in crafts and tech coding to extend their value and earning potential.”
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The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to construction activities in 2020. Now, as the pandemic impacts recede, construction projects across Minnesota are picking up again, bringing forward a need for qualified workers in various trades industries. Nowhere is that more evident than in Ramsey County, where the need for skilled workers exists across many businesses and industries. As the Outreach Director with McGough Construction, Karin McCabe is familiar with workforce trends.
“Minnesota is suffering through a workforce labor challenge,” she said. “There are more construction jobs available than workforce to fill them, so we are certainly looking to get more people into the building trades.”
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Target Corporation is providing Century College with a $100,000 grant to create the Target Corporation Solar Scholarship program. The program provides financial support to more than 20 newly enrolled students of color and women enrolling in the Solar and Renewable Energy program at Century College for Fall Semester 2021 through scholarships for tuition and supplies. The scholarship will help address a critical worker shortage in the solar and renewable energy field, one of the fastest-growing job sectors in the coming decade.
“Target Corporation has made a commitment to help protect our planet from the negative effects of climate change, and they provide support and resources to organizations that are aligned to this commitment,” said Angelia Millender, President of Century College. “As the only higher education institution in Minnesota offering a Solar and Renewable Energy program, we saw a tremendous opportunity to develop a collaboration that could have a positive impact on fighting climate change, as well as expand the pathway to employment in this field for diverse and non-traditional populations.”
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Annual survey by DEED, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reveals tempered optimism - July 12, 2021
Minnesota business services firms expect continued recovery from the pandemic recession during the next four quarters, with 55% of respondents expecting increase in consumer spending and 46% anticipating growth in employment. Those are the results released today from a joint survey conducted in May and June of this year by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Surveying business services firms – such as engineers, accountants and architects –offers a compelling glimpse into economic conditions because these businesses provide their services to other businesses across the full range of industries in the economy. This year, 201 Minnesota business services firms responded to the survey. Most of those business services firms surveyed expect unchanged or improving conditions for the coming year.
Areas of concern among survey respondents include inflation and labor availability. Nearly 75% of respondents believe there will be an increase in inflation and 96% expected unchanged or decreased labor availability over the coming year.
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