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As summer winds down, I reflect on my first year as Chair of the Minneapolis Workforce Board. I have enjoyed the past year working alongside my colleagues and am proud of our accomplishments:
- Step Up completed its 20th year with nearly 1,300 interns
- Record funding was invested into local workforce programming through federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars
- Completed year one of the ground-breaking work of City of Minneapolis’ Guaranteed Basic Income pilot project
September is a great month to continue our efforts. Once again, Governor Walz proclaimed September as Workforce Development Month. Activities throughout the state this month will highlight the great work done to move individuals towards employment. This issue of the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board Newsletter will highlight some of the upcoming events, as well as covering current trends in the labor market. Keep your eyes open for more information as next month we celebrate both Manufacturing Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month.
In the meantime, I extend my thanks to the members of the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board and the rest of you who continue to help strengthen our workforce and the businesses in our Minneapolis community.
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September is
Workforce Development Month
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Governor Walz highlights the contribution of workforce development professionals in his executive proclamation: “Collaboration among all members of Minnesota’s workforce development system, including industry partners, workforce development entities, educational institutions, labor unions, and community-based organizations is critical to system alignment and preparing a workforce to meet our state’s labor needs.”
To strengthen and celebrate our local workforce collaborators, Minneapolis Employment and Training has planned two events for Workforce Development Month:
- On September 21st, regional nonprofit and public sector partners will exhibit at a unique job fair featuring careers in workforce development! Attendees connect with career navigators, build professional networks, and take the first step toward meaningful careers. All are invited to attend from 1-4 p.m. at Goodwill Easter Seals of Minnesota, 553 Fairview Avenue North in Saint Paul. Free parking is available, and convenient light rail transit is just outside the door!
- On September 27th, we welcome our workforce development partners, local employers, and our community to the Minneapolis CareerForce at 800 West Broadway in North Minneapolis for a celebration of Workforce Development Month from 2-5 p.m. At 2:00, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis Workforce Development Board Chair Jonathan Weinhagen will open the event and there also will be remarks from our new Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner, Matt Varilek. Beginning at 2:20 pm, forty exhibitors will be featured in the job and resource fair, providing all attendees with excellent employment opportunities and access to CareerForce workforce development services! 800 West Broadway partners will be on-hand to provide free health screenings and a bag of groceries to take home. Parking is free and refreshments are complimentary.
Find more information on Workforce Development Month at https://www.careerforcemn.com/WorkforceDevelopmentMonth.
New Workforce Development Board Member Highlights
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Kyle Punton
General Manager
Kemps – Good Comes Around.
420 West Broadway Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota
612.723.5596
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What do you do in your current role? I am the General Manager at the Kemps Milk Plant on West Broadway. I lead and am responsible for a cross functional team of Operations, Distribution, Sales, Finance and Human Resources. Our location produces the fresh Kemps milk you buy around the state of Minnesota!
What led you to your career and what do you like about your work? I started with Kemps in a part time position while going to college. I learned so much in those 3 years that I knew I wanted to continue with the company in a full-time capacity. Timing is everything and was able to work into a Sales position. I spent 15 years in sales before moving to my current position. People are my passion. I love meeting, building relationships and helping people. I get to do that every day in my job. It brings me joy!
What interests you most about serving on the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board? I love our City. I live in it, I work in it, I hang out in it. Any way that I can continue to foster my passion for people and support our city, I’m all for investing time and energy into.
What was your first ever job? My first job was at Ace Hardware in Eagan, Minnesota. Sorry to all the folks I sent home with the wrong plumbing or electrical pieces!
Anything else you’d like to add? I'm a dad of 3 young children, avid golfer in the summer, and enjoy anything on the ice in the winter. My wife and I are frequently enjoying Minneapolis restaurant scene, favorite spot being Colita.
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Jamie Mailer
Sr Manager, HR and Employee Services
Xcel Energy
401 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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What do you do in your current role? I am currently in the process of transitioning into a new role of Senior Manager over HR and Employee Services where I will be leading teams that manage employee leaves, payroll and benefits for our internal employees, but for the past four years I have led a team of recruiters across our eight state territory. In my current space I have been working to transform our team to adapt to the changing environment. We are working to increase our brand awareness in the market and draw in people who may not naturally think of a utility as an innovative place to work. We partner with our DEI team to adjust our process, increase our awareness, and understand and reduce biases in our process. We have seen a lot of change in the market and economy over the past few years and are working hard to adjust our internal processes to support bringing in the right people.
What led you to your career and what do you like about your work? A career in energy was not something I was looking for, but one that I fell into. I began with Xcel Energy around the same time as completing my Master of Science degree in Technical Communications. I was looking for a space where I could enter into a company, learn and grow. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to do this over the years in many areas and positions. I moved into the Human Resources area nearly 15 years ago, I found I had a passion for this space! During my time here I have been part of Talent Acquisition, Workforce Relations and HR Operations. I enjoy finding ways to connect our areas, increase efficiencies and work with our employees. During my time with Talent Acquisition, I have been able to increase my understanding of the challenges we are facing in the company and also in our communities. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I am able to positively impact our customers and bring people into our organization that will help us move forward in positive ways.
What interests you most about serving on the Minneapolis Workforce Development Board? I believe we are at a very interesting time; we have seen so much transition the workforce over the past few years and have many areas with large gaps. I am very interested at helping to identify different ways we can adjust, attract and bring people of all backgrounds into the workplace.
What was your first ever job? My first job was at a small grocery store near my house in St. Paul. I was the grocery bagger and carry- out person; in my slow time I would assist in cleaning up food shelves and maintaining the cleanliness of the store.
Another Successful Step Up Summer
 On August 17, hundreds of Step Up interns, families, alumni, program partners, employer partners and community supporters gathered at Boom Island Park to celebrate another successful year of summer youth employment experiences. Attendees enjoyed treats from Step Up partners, Cookie Cart and Green Garden Bakery, and heard from long-term Step Up champions, as well as interns, supervisors and employers of the year. Emcee and Step Up Alum, Jordan Dotson, also introduced special performances by current interns, Avery Cheeseman and Antaella Lymas. The day was a culmination of the 9-week paid youth internship and career exploration program that has been serving Minneapolis youth for 20 years.
This year, nearly 1,300 Minneapolis youth completed internships and training with Step Up. Close to 900 youth participated in internships with 96 employer partners and almost 400 youth completed online career exploration coursework to earn a stipend. Overall, Step Up youth earned a combined 2 million dollars this summer, more than half of which was directly from private sector employer partners.
Virtual Event for Employers
Join Us!
Please join the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) and State Services for the Blind (SSB) as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The theme for 2023 is "Advancing Access and Equity". The event will feature DEED's Commissioner and other leadership, a special guest speaker and recognition of outstanding Employers for their work in "Advancing Access and Equity" for people with disabilities.
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Schedule
- Welcome from DEED Commissioner and other leadership
- Colleen Wieck Governor's Council on Developmental Disability
- Guest Speaker
- Recognition of Employers
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 279 147 356 270 Passcode: QH7qZM
Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 651-395-7448,,564903201# United States, St. Paul Phone Conference ID: 564 903 201#
If accommodations are needed, please contact Marci Jasper at marci.jasper@state.mn.us by September 25, 2023.
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DEED Regional Economic Analysis -- Metro Area
By Nick Dobbins August 2023
An excerpt for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
Over the year employment in the metro area was up by 34,971 (1.8%). This was down from June's 2.5% over-the-year growth. Leisure and Hospitality added 12,745 jobs (6.8%). Educational and Health Services was up 14,489 (4.3%) with comparable growth in both major components. Government employers added 8,801 jobs (3.9%), with most of that coming at the Local Government level (up 7,132 jobs or 4.9%), although all three levels of government posted positive growth. Five supersectors lost jobs on the year, with the largest real and proportional declines coming in Financial Services, which was off by 3,777 jobs or 2.5%, with losses in all published component sectors. Professional and Business Services employment was off by 2,266 (0.7%) primarily from the loss of 2,401 jobs (2.4%) in Administrative and Support and Waste Management Services, with that in turn stemming from the loss of 2,285 jobs (5.2%) in component Employment Services.
September Minneapolis Workforce Development Board Meeting
Minneapolis Workforce Development Board
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
8:00 am - 9:30 am
North Minneapolis CareerForce
800 W Broadway
DEED's Data Center
DEED on Twitter
CareerForce on Twitter
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