Funding Award: 95,000

Industry Partners:

POET Biorefining

Key Partners:

Workforce Development, Inc., Riverland Community College, South Central Workforce Council, Southwest Private Industry Council

Project Summary:

In 23 Southern Minnesota counties, this project targets high school students, out-of-school youth and adults, and energy workers. Safety training, industrial maintenance skill development and on-the-job training are provided for current and potential employees. In addition, it offers the revised Renewable Energy Academy training to potential energy workers.

Project Outcomes:

•  20 students received a Renewable Energy Academy certificate
•  20 students obtained a National Career Readiness certificate (requiring math and reading skills)
•  18 students completed a 128-hour Industrial Maintenance Certification program
•  8 participants are currently involved in on-the-job Training with local renewable energy companies

Project Description:

This project was a follow-up to the Energy Academies training and incorporated lessons learned from that project. Based on feedback from employers and job seekers that attended the Academy, project leaders revised the curriculum and added more skill areas.

"When we ran the first Academy, we learned that the students needed more math, more hands-on using tools, a better understanding of the industry itself, and more maintenance experience," said Becky Thofson from Workforce Development, Inc. "Many entry level jobs involve equipment, plant, or facility maintenance and there are few programs that train people for these tasks."

One of the instructors, John Knippen from Workforce Development, Inc, Renewable Energy Project Coordinator, said, "We also help people brush up on the soft skills including resume writing and interviewing. For many displaced workers, it may have been quite a few years since they had to do these things. Adding forklift training was also important because it's a skill that can be used across industries."

The Pipeline project also helped 20 people take and pass the National Career Readiness certificate test. This credential demonstrates that a potential employee has essential workplace skills such as applied math, good reading comprehension, and the ability to process information effectively.

"Having potential workers more informed about the renewable energy industry and prepared for what they'll encounter in those work situations saves time for employers as well as new employees," said Knippen. "When a person knows before they interview that they are well-suited to a particular job or field, it makes it easier for everyone. This is a big benefit for the communities and companies involved in the program."