May 2018

For your calendar

Workforce Development Board Meeting

Location:TBD

Date:  July 17, 2018

Time:  8:00a.m. - 9:30a.m.

Note: This meeting will take place prior to the STEP-UP worksite tour. Expect to see updates on location and logistics.

Minneapolis Unemployment Rate drops in April

The April 2018 unemployment rate dropped to 2.5 percent, resulting in 5,939 residents unemployed and actively seeking employment, a decrease of 924 unemployed from March to April.

The federal government’s estimate of the Minneapolis labor force increased between March and April with 417 residents entering the labor force, resulting in a total labor force of 240,560. The year-over-year trend for April shows higher labor force participation and a lower unemployment rate from a year ago.

April’s 2.5 percent unemployment rate in Minneapolis is .6 percent lower than the State of Minnesota, .1 percent lower than the seven county metro area, and 1.2 percent lower than the national average. 

Minnesota Unemployment Rate  3.2 Percent 

The Minnesota unemployment rate held steady at 3.2 percent in April, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The U.S. unemployment rate in April was 3.9 percent. 

The state lost 3,200 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in April.

More >> here

Find past issues of the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board News >> here.

Minneapolis Career Pathways Fund

Minneapolis Employment and Training has launched the Minneapolis Pathways Fund.  This $1 million investment builds on the existing career pathways work supported by the City and will support flexible, responsive, and employer-driven programs to get Minneapolis residents to work.  This fund builds on the success of existing industry sector career pathway initiatives to reduce racial disparities in income and employment by preparing job seekers to become fully qualified for high-demand, entry-level positions and career advancement.

The Minneapolis Pathways Fund has two primary goals; to be flexible and responsive.  While this fund focuses on the job seeker, it makes business and communities equal partners by allowing them to come directly to the City with opportunities.  Each program will be evaluated according to the specific goals and circumstances of the project.  The first deadline for applications is June 20 with awards going out July 1.  Employment and Training is working with the Business Development team at CPED to leverage this fund as a resource to assist in their business attraction and retention efforts.  

Application can be found >> here

Recognition of Service: John Mbali and MJ Horner

The May Workforce Development Board meeting included a member service recognition of two Workforce Development Board members who will be ending their terms in June. M.J. Horner is Senior Director of Talent Strategy and Transformation at Xcel Energy.  She began her board term in 2014.  John Mbali is a Program Manager at Hennepin County Eligibility Services and Work Supports who began his board term in 2012. Both board members received plaques with the following inscription: In appreciation of your dedicated service to the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board and recognition of your exceptional leadership and devoted service to Minneapolis businesses and job seekers

City of Minneapolis Employment and Training News

Minneapolis Employment and Training Featured in National Policy Brief

The US Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families included this report in a national publication that highlights best practices.  The City of Minneapolis served as a connection project site and is featured in this policy brief:  Systems Work Better Together: Strengthening Public Workforce & Homeless Service Systems Collaboration.

The Policy Brief from Heartland Alliance focuses on collaborations between the workforce system and homeless services system to best meet the needs of individuals who are homeless or unstably housed who access the workforce system. Drawing from in-depth interviews with public workforce and homeless service systems leaders and the work of five national connections project sites, this paper identifies common barriers to public workforce and homeless service systems collaboration and recommends how to address these barriers in order to help ensure that homeless and unstably housed jobseekers can access economic opportunity and stabilize in housing.

See report >> here

Teens gather for Teen Job Fair at Minneapolis Central Library 

Employers Hire at 13th Annual Teen Job Fair

The 13th annual Minneapolis Teen Job Fair attracted over 160 young career seekers to the Minneapolis Central Library on April 21, 2018.  Youth arrived as early as 9:00 a.m. for a Prep Rally to receive assistance with resume and interview preparation, networking tips, and computer access to on-line employment applications. Following a youth-led workshop at 10:00, teens circulated the event until 2:00 p.m., meeting more than 25 businesses and organizations.

The event was made possible with support from the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, the Minneapolis Youth Congress, Hennepin County Libraries, and City of Minneapolis.

The Teen Job Fair was featured in an article in the Star Tribune!

See >> here

STEP-UP seeks a deeper connection between academic and work life for interns

 The STEP-UP team at the City of Minneapolis is working to incorporate interns earning academic credit for their training and internships with two partnerships.

Over the past year, the STEP-UP team has collaborated closely with Project for Pride in Living (PPL) to realign the STEP-UP work readiness training curriculum to correspond with the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) Career Readiness Seminar course. Interns will earn high school credit through PPL’s Loring Nicollet Alternative School (an MPS contract alternative high school). This pioneering approach allows STEP-UP interns the option to earn high school credits for their work experiences in any job – STEP-UP or otherwise – once they earn this prerequisite credit.  This integration supports youth who are credit deficient and fosters a deeper connection between how an intern’s work experience connects to his or her education. Curriculum design was done by Erin Jordan at EJ Design Firm.

Additionally, STEP-UP has partnered directly with Minneapolis Public Schools credit recovery team to pilot a project this summer. A small number of 9th grade STEP-UP interns who are currently not on track to graduate high school on time will attend a required class, in coordination with their STEP-UP internship, so they can be closer to on track when starting 10th grade in the fall. The curriculum will be designed specifically for the STEP-UP interns and include components of their summer jobs as part of their learning.  If successful in 2018, and if funds can be raised to support the effort, we will consider expanding the program to serve more interns in 2019.

City Awarded two Career Pathways Grants

The City of Minneapolis was awarded a total of $600,000 from DEED to support two Career Pathways projects in Minneapolis. DEED awarded 57 grants totaling $17.9 million under the program. The grants are designed to provide workforce development and training opportunities for adult’s barriers to employment.

The City was awarded $350,000 for HealthHire, a partnership with Minneapolis Community and Technical College, HIRED, Eastside Neighborhood Services and Project for Pride in Living that will create clear, aligned, and coordinated entry points into health care training centered on the Health Care Core Curriculum (HCCC), a curriculum that prepares learners with baseline knowledge and skills that then articulate to three pathways in the health care field with employer partners ready to hire. The three pathways are Nursing Assistant Plus, Health Care Plus, and Patient Access Specialist.  

A second grant of $250,000 will build on the success of existing Public Safety Pathway including the 911 Telecommunicator training and the Minneapolis Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Academy. Pathways projects offer opportunities for a broader range of job seekers, particularly those that typically experience economic and employment disparities, to gain access to training that will fully prepare them for entry and mid-level positions in high demand.