October is Manufacturing Month in Minnesota, recognizing that this industry is critical to the strength of our local economy and offers many family-sustaining job opportunities for our residents. Did you know that the manufacturing industry accounts for about 9% of all employment in Ramsey County, with 642 local manufacturing firms? This month's Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County (WIB) newsletter is full of great information, including a feature story about how Saint Paul College is preparing people for manufacturing careers and a spotlight on WIB member Sean Mullan from 3M who is a true champion of the manufacturing industry and careers that require less than a four-year degree. You can also learn about the wide offering of information available to job seekers, employers and workforce professionals on the county's Manufacturing Month webpage. Check it out!  

Over the last 30 years, the role of trade careers in the American economy has been greatly minimized. Manufacturing, in general, has been gaining momentum across the nation since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to rising demand for skilled machinists and toolmakers. St. Paul College (SPC) is a critical contributor to meeting that demand in Minnesota. 

“I believe we have done a disservice to our youth to point them away from the benefits of a career in the trades,” said Drew Hamilton, Workforce Training and Continuing Education Coordinator at SPC. “But I know some machinists who earn more than many doctors without the debt load to get to that point.”

Read the full story. 

To recognize the important role the manufacturing industry plays in Ramsey County, a Manufacturing Month webpage has been developed. It includes resources for job seekers, industry articles and reports, details on upcoming events, employments facts and more. Additional information will continue to be added throughout the month so stop back often.

Visit the Manufacturing Month webpage. 

Workforce Solutions recently announced a partnership with local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to share information about workforce services with the business community.  The St. Paul Area Chamber, Midway Chamber of Commerce, Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation, Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, Saint Paul Port Authority, Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce, Rice Larpenteur Alliance and Latino Chamber of Commerce are part of this new group of Inclusive Employer Champions. 

This effort is designed to bring intentional collaboration and resource sharing across all workforce services and programming in the county to benefit Ramsey County employers.

Read the full story about the launch of this new program on the county website.

This summer, Ramsey County Parks & Recreation and Workforce Solutions partnered with Tree Trust, a non-profit that helps teens and young adults build sustainable careers with training and hands-on experience in skilled trades and green career pathways.

As a contracted partner for the county’s Young Adult Employment Program, Tree Trust recruited and hired two crews of eight workers between the ages of 14 and 20 to work on several projects throughout the Ramsey County parks system.

Read more about this partnership.

Ramsey County and its regional partners offer comprehensive support programs for the businesses growing here. Whether looking to recruit new employees, start an internship program or train employees on the latest equipment or software, there are many organizations in the local workforce ecosystem that can provide businesses with the support they need to grow.

Visit the Ramsey County Partnership Directory to learn more.

Sean Mullan

Global Plant Engineering & Operational Effectiveness Leader, 3M and WIB Member since 2011

What are some of the employment challenges job seekers in our community are facing at this time?

There are many job openings in industrial maintenance and manufacturing. Many from the Baby Boom generation have or will soon retire…this has left a large gap in our skilled talent pool. Manufacturing has changed in the last 50 years, and overcoming the idea that manufacturing is “dark, dirty and dangerous” has been a challenge. Manufacturing is now very automated and high tech. Computer controls, robots, and automation have changed the manufacturing industry. Finding employment candidates who have problem solving, teamwork and technical skills has been a big challenge, but is improving as Career and Technical Education is finding its way back into our secondary and post-secondary education system.

Read more about Sean and his work at 3M here.

Manufacturing Month Virtual Lunch & Learn for Workforce Professionals, October 12, Noon - 1 p.m.

Are you hungry to connect? Join Ramsey County's One-Stop partners on October 12 at noon for a virtual Lunch and Learn event. Food/agriculture, metal and medical are three of the largest manufacturing subsectors in Ramsey County. In this Lunch & Learn, workforce professionals will meet manufacturing employer representatives to learn about their companies and their specific workforce needs. Attendees will gain industry and career insights useful for working with job seekers in our communities. 

Featured employers include: Minnetronix, Superior Machine Inc. and more!

Ramsey County One-Stop partners are committed to increasing knowledge of available programs and services, and increasing partner referrals. This event is ideal for service delivery staff and supervisors in workforce, education and community services.

Join the event!  No registration is required. 

What Happens When Employers Come Together in Anti-Racist Learning and Action

By Tiffany Wilson-Worsley, Director of Employer Learning and Engagement, Center for Economic Inclusion

The 2020 murder of George Floyd and consequential uprisings that followed both locally and nationally, illuminated the disparate state of Blacks and people of color in Minnesota and across the nation. Dubbed the “Minnesota Paradox” by University of Minnesota Professor Samuel Myers Jr., Ph.D. the phrase referenced Minnesota’s status as one of the best places to live for whites while simultaneously being one of the worst places to live if you are black. Data supported that the paradox was a national phenomenon. Subsequently, across the nation, companies made public commitments to racial justice which provoked policy makers, government and business leaders to commit to change in different ways. At the Center for Economic Inclusion (CEI), we advocated for more than verbal and philanthropic commitments. CEI called on public and private sector leaders to commit to creating and accelerating regional and organizational antiracist policies and practices which in Minnesota led to the formation of the Anti-Racist Economic Justice Trust (The Trust).

Read the full article.