IQ Magazine - Spring 2008

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2 Initiative Quarterly • IQmag.org

SPRING 2008

CONTENTSFEATURES

14Workforce,InterruptedIs There Life after theBaby Boomers?

18The Hard Truthabout Soft SkillsListen Up, Young Menand Women

22Forces at WorkCommon-Sense PartnershipsLink Students, Schools, andBusinesses

26Right of WayNew College and CareerPaths Can Lead Back Home

30Job LabWelcome to One PossibleTomorrow

INITIATIVE FOUNDATION GOALSStrengthen Economic Opportunity

Preserve Key Places and Natural ResourcesSupport Children, Youth, and Families

Build Organizational EffectivenessEncourage the Spirit of Giving

Cass

CrowWing

MorrisonTodd

Wright

Benton

Sherburne

Isanti

Chisago

Stearns

Wadena

Pine

Kanabec

MilleLacs

4 BeginningsLenses

6 MythologyDon’t Buy theConventionalWorkforce Wisdom

8 Life LessonsYouth Jobs,ExtracurricularsPlunge in Popularity

34 ClassroomAdding Real World to the School Day

36 Higher EducationTraining for WorkforceNeeds

38 Recruit & RetainBusinesses Bend to Attract Young Workers

40 KeynotesThe Foundation Newsletter

48 Guest EditorialGrand Central

Baby boomers, Mary Jo Sakry, Les Green,Jim Carr, and Chuck Stark will soonbequeath the tools of their trades to thesmaller Millenial Generation, representedby fifteen-year-old Alex Houle.

Photograph by Jim Altobell

DEPARTMENTS

COVER

“Our mission is to unlock the power ofcentral Minnesota people to build

and sustain healthy communities.”

MINNESOTA’S 4TH OF JULY CAPITALBRAINERD BAXTER

June 27Little Miss and Mister4th of July PageantWestgate Mall

June 28Miss Brainerd LakesScholarship PageantTornstrom Auditorium

June 30Right Friends Picnic

July 1Blue ThunderBaseballBlue Thunder vs Wisconsin*kids eat free with an adult

July 2Battle of the BandsDon AdamsonFootball Field

July 3Gospel NightHeritage Assemblyof God Church

Show 'n ShineThe Body Works

July 4"American Celebration"

12 NOON

Corn on the Cob Feed

4 PM

Paradewith Grand MarshallGeneral Bruce Carlson

6 PM

Winner of Battle of the Bands

6:30 PM

Bill "The King" Musel

8:00 PM

"The District"

10:15 PM

World Class FireworksKuhn Fireworks

July 5KomenBrainerd LakesRace for the CureForestview MiddleSchool

July 634th annualArts in the ParkGregory Park10 AM–4:30 PM

featuringThe District

www.BrainerdCommunityAction.orgDonations Appreciated

It was one of those late summer afternoons that inspired someone to invent ice cream. Guilt-stricken and salivating, I made a two-wheeled right-turn into the Little Falls Dairy Queen at thelast possible second.

The young woman took my order, took one look at me, and giggled through the wholetransaction. “Kids, nowadays,” I’ve heard some people harrumph. “No skills. No work ethic.No respect.” I was starting to believe it myself.

As I pulled away from the drive-through window—a little angry and humiliated—I happenedto catch a glimpse of my face in the rear-view mirror. One of the lenses in my sun-glasses had popped out, and I looked likea suburban pirate. With chilled vanilla onmy lips, I couldn’t help but laugh at howit’s so easy to miss the obvious.

This issue of IQ Magazine tackles thefuture of Minnesota’s workforce. As babyboomers march toward retirement overthe next decade, they will turn their jobsover to a much smaller generation—onethat doesn’t always share the same valuesor skills that employers have come todepend on.

Some experts predict a full-fledged crisis. Others see a bump in the road. But this much isclear—we cannot afford to miss the obvious. The solutions call for cooperation, compromise, andcommon sense. Students can’t expect the world to change for them. Schools can’t teach in a vacu-um. Businesses can’t demand blind conformity.

Fortunately, central Minnesota is leading the state in partnerships that bring students andteachers to the workplace, business leaders to the classroom, and our economy to a brighter future.Immigrants and refugees will also be some of our greatest workforce assets.

Please share this issue with the students in your life. It’s written for them, too.

Enjoy the magazine!

Kathy Gaalswyk, PresidentInitiative Foundation

P.S. Special thanks to our four regional MnSCU colleges and universities that teamed up to sponsorthis issue. On pages 12–13, read about the cutting-edge workforce programs of Central LakesCollege, Pine Technical College, St. Cloud Technical College, and St. Cloud State University.

Lenses

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INITIATIVE FOUNDATIONExecutive Editor & Director of Communications / MATT KILIAN

Communications Associate / ANITA HOLLENHORST

PUBLISHERSEvergreen Press / CHIP & JEAN BORKENHAGEN

EDITORIALEditorial Director / JODI SCHWEN

Assistant Editor / TENLEE LUND

ARTArt Director / ANDREA BAUMANN

Senior Graphic Designer / BOB WALLENIUS

Graphic Designer / BRAD RAYMOND

Production Manager / BRYAN PETERSEN

Lead Photographer / JIM ALTOBELL

ADVERTISING / SUBSCRIPTIONSBusiness & Advertising Director / BRIAN LEHMAN

Advertiser Services / MARY SAVAGE

Subscriber Services / ANITA HOLLENHORST

IQ EDITORIAL BOARDInitiative Foundation President / KATHY GAALSWYK

Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest / GINA BLAYNEY

Stearns-Benton Employment & Training Council / SALLY BRENDEN

St. Cloud Technical College / SANDY FABIAN

Initiative Foundation / CHRIS FASTNER

Clow Stamping / TWYLA FLAWS

Bridges Career Academy / MARY GOTTSCH

Initiative Foundation / CATHY HARTLE

Initiative Foundation / LYNN HOULE

Initiative Foundation / JOHN KALISZEWSKI

St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership / TOM MOORE

Pine Technical College / ROBERT MUSGROVE

Rural MN Concentrated Employment Prog. / CRAIG NATHAN

St. Cloud Technical College / JONATHAN PARKER

Initiative Foundation / SANDY VOIGT

Central Minnesota Jobs & Training Services / TIM ZIPOY

Initiative Foundation405 First Street SE Little Falls, MN 56345320.632.9255 | www.ifound.org

Published in partnership with Evergreen Press, IQ Magazineunlocks the power of central Minnesota leaders to understand and take action on regional issues.

For advertising opportunities, contact:Lois Head 320.252.7348, [email protected] Lehman 218.828.6424 ext. 25, [email protected] Kristin Rothstein 320.251.5875, [email protected]

> VOLUME 6, SPRING 2008

Spring 2008 5

www.EvergreenPress.net

Conventional Wisdom: A four-year degreeis the first, essential step to success.Reality-Check: Not as often as you mightthink.

Okay, what about the 2000 U.S.Census report that people with bachelor’sdegrees earned about $15,500 more peryear than those with high-school diplo-mas? Case closed, right? Not so fast.Looking forward to 2014, the MinnesotaDepartment of Employment and EconomicDevelopment (DEED) projects that 78 per-cent of all Minnesota jobs won’t require afour-year degree as their most significantsource of training.

“The idea that I grew up with—that ifyou get any four-year degree, you’ll be able toget a good job—is simply not true,” saysKathy Zavala, executive director of Stearns-Benton Employment and Training Council.“Employers are singing a different tune now.Many high-demand occupations don’trequire an advanced degree, so the key isunderstanding the labor market, yourself,and what your goals are.”

Conventional Wisdom: With baby boomerretirements, a looming workforce shortagewill cripple Minnesota’s economy.Reality-Check: The sky isn’t falling—atleast, not everywhere.

It’s true that certain sectors are scram-bling to fill positions, especially in healthcareand manufacturing fields hit by the double-whammy of retiring workers and increasingdemand. While Minnesota’s northwest and

e MYTHOLOGY

Walk into any central Minnesota cafeand ask the guy on the stool what he

thinks about today’s kids and the futureworkforce. Then make yourself comfortable,because it’ll be awhile. Many of us sharestrong opinions about our work and what ittakes to succeed. We bet you’ve heard (andmaybe even passed along) the followingmyths. Here’s what the experts had to say . . .

Conventional Wisdom: Young workerstoday are selfish, lazy, and unreliable.Reality-Check: America’s work ethic ischanging, not disappearing.

According to Greg Koenigs, human-relations director for Coborn’s expandingchain of more than sixty grocery and con-venience stores, the Millenial generation isbringing a new set of expectations andskills to the workplace. Coborn’s leans on1,500 workers between the ages of sixteenand twenty-one—about a quarter of itstotal workforce.

“I always hear that this generation does-n’t have a work ethic,” says Koenigs, “but Isee them getting exceptional grades. I seethem involved in sports, extracurriculars,volunteerism, and working besides. They’redoing a ton of things—way more than mygeneration did.

“But you just can’t tell them, ‘Here’s atoothbrush. Now, go sweep the floor.’Nowadays, kids ask why. They don’t justaccept authority for the sake of authority. Asadults and supervisors, we need to under-stand that and not make generalizations.”

southwest regions are bracing for the worst,central Minnesota may be better positionedto weather the storm, says Cameron Macht,DEED regional analyst.

“Employers here are worried about ashortage in skills more than workers,” hesays. “Central Minnesota is in an enviableposition right now. It has a growing popula-tion of twenty-five to forty-four-year-olds,many with higher education levels and two-income households. All the ingredients arethere for economic growth in the future.”

Conventional Wisdom: If you want agood job, move to the big city.Reality-Check: Before you commit tosuits, commuting, and skyscrapers, breakout your calculator.

There’s no doubt about it. Urban jobspay better and there are more of them. ButDon Macke, director of Nebraska’s RUPRICenter for Rural Entrepreneurship, has amessage for starry-eyed rural students wait-ing to flee their hometowns after graduation.

“My advice to young people today isto do the math,” says Macke. “If you’reconsidering relocation to a big city, remem-ber that you’ll face a 20–50 percent highercost of living related to housing, conges-tion, and crime.”

According to the Initiative Foundation,central Minnesota’s rural communities arealso poised for future growth in technology,bioscience, and high-tech manufacturingcompanies with many professional andskilled job opportunities close to home.React at IQMAG.ORG

BY DESMOND BERNSTEIN


Sky Is Falling?Don’t Buy the Conventional Workforce Wisdom

Chris McAllister

www.positivelyminnesota.com

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7Spring 2008

LIFE LESSONS

No ExperienceRequired?Youth Jobs, ExtracurricularsPlunge in Popularity

Mary Kenna remembers the first timeshe tried to sell Girl Scout cookies.

She white-knuckled her order sheets andrang the doorbell, all the while rehearsingher sales pitch and hoping no one washome. She surprised herself when shesold a few boxes and then a few more.With each passing cookie, her confidencebegan to grow.

And that wasn’t all. Slowly but sure-ly, the unsuspecting girl built a founda-tion of future skills—speaking in public,working with others, setting goals, man-aging money, and serving her community.Fast-forward a few decades and youmight recognize Mary as an adult leaderand mentor for two Girl Scout troops inLittle Falls.

Nice story, right? Many adults couldshare similar experiences about how theylearned life-guiding lessons through part-time jobs, sports, clubs, or volunteering.But today’s youth might not be able to dothe same.

In 2007, more than 71 percent ofninth-grade boys and 63 percent ofninth-grade girls surveyed by theMinnesota Department of Education saidthey did not participate in hobbies, vol-unteer activities, academic clubs, or com-munity clubs. The rates for twelfth-graders were even lower.

According to a 2005 study byNortheastern University, nationalemployment rates for sixteen-to-nine-

BY BRITTA REQUE-DRAGICEVIC


GOOD BATCH: Mary Kenna with Little Falls Girl Scouts. Fewer Minnesota youth areparticipating in activities or part-time jobs.

teen-year-olds fell to 36.5 percent, theirlowest level in the past fifty-six years.

“The concern is that not enoughyoung people are taking advantage ofearly opportunities to build their softskills and leadership abilities,” says KathyGaalswyk, Initiative Foundation presi-dent. “Instead, they might be learningthem at their first professional job, andthat has some employers pulling theirhair out.”

Greg Zylka, manager of Coborn’s gro-cery in Little Falls, employs about sixtyhigh-school students. “They have to learnskills that you just can’t teach in a class-room,” he says. “Even working one day aweek gives kids exposure to the publicand to working with other people. Theyalso learn that they have a supervisor toanswer to.”

Zylka says he sees himself as a men-tor more than a boss. “I take pride in see-ing these kids grow and work, some eventhrough college. It’s incredible to see thetransitions they make. Each one is nearand dear to me.”

The Initiative Foundation, whichcounts youth engagement among its priori-

ty areas, is also concerned about the futureof community leadership. “If we don’t cre-ate opportunities for youth to get involvedin community service and leadership whenthey’re young, how can we expect thatthey’ll suddenly be interested ten or twentyyears from now?” Gaalswyk adds.

Kenna also works as the adult coor-dinator for the Morrison County Youth asResources program, one of ten centralMinnesota YAR programs funded by theInitiative Foundation. Through YAR, teenboards with adult advisors raise moneyfor youth-led service projects in theirhometowns. Projects have ranged frommaking blankets for young victims ofdomestic violence to raising awarenessabout methamphetamine. Youth learnleadership and service while creating pos-itive changes in their community.

“I think there needs to be a resur-gence of the community culture that ittakes a village to raise a child,’” saysKenna. “Youth have a stake in almostevery issue affecting communities, yethow often do we ask them to join us atthe table?”React at IQMAG.ORG

Spring 2008

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Central Lakes College is a full-service, comprehensive community and

technical college with a 70-year regional heritage. We offer a mix of

technical college and community college programs and courses from

campuses in Brainerd and Staples.

Our mission: We build futures.CLC promotes success for our students, businesses, and communities. We

are preparing our students for the future with the knowledge, skills, andattitudes necessary for living and earning.

By building and sustaining individual futures, CLC contributes to thegreater good of a regional community. An example of the commitment to eco-nomic development is our partnership with five area school districts (Brainerd,Crosby-Ironton, Pequot Lakes, Pillager, and Staples-Motley) and the BrainerdLakes Area Chamber of Commerce to link the worlds of education and work.

The Bridges Career Academies and Workplace Connection were created asa system to ensure a viable workforce by enrolling high school juniors and sen-iors in college-credit courses that focus on career pathways. The academies arepowered by project-based learning and a rigorous, real-world curriculum.

A business advisory team helped college and high school instructors devel-op the curriculum.

“Students will be the biggest beneficiaries with high-skill, high-wage jobsand careers,” said Dr. Larry Lundblad, president of Central Lakes College.

A Proven LeaderWith a mix of traditional and advanced pro-

grams, Pine Technical College (PTC) isresponding to an evolving world.

With an eye toward future trends, PTC hasadded programs in Virtual Reality, Networking &Microcomputers, and Prototyping & ReverseEngineering. Individuals who are trained inComputer Programming, Computer Science,Management of Information Systems, BusinessAdministration, and Accounting are among thehighest-demand employees.

Health and human service programs havesustained strong growth due to the immense

demand for qualified workers. Practical Nursing,Public Welfare Financial Worker, and EarlyChildhood Development careers are abundant,and PTC’s programs have continued to provideeducated workers.

PTC has maintained high-quality trade pro-grams, such as Manufacturing, Automotive, andGunsmithing, while constantly adapting the cur-riculum and equipment to meet today’s employ-ers’ rigorous standards.

But credit programs are not all the collegeoffers. PTC is a one-stop-shop for workforcedevelopment. The Customized Training Divisionprovides custom-designed training programs to

meet the needs of any company.The staff has the knowledge,experience, and credibility tohelp any employer maximizetheir workforce potential.

PTC has helped hundreds of companies“rethink” how they work, match the right peopleto the right tasks, and train people to work moreefficiently. The results are savings in time, money,materials, and satisfied customers. In today’sglobal marketplace, companies have to worksmarter. Pine Technical College is a proven leaderin helping companies reach that goal.

Central Lakes College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. ADA accessible.

www.clcmn.edu

www.pinetech.edu


Special Workforce Issue

Partnering in Economic DevelopmentSt. Cloud Technical College has changed a lot

over the 60 years it has provided educationand training for central Minnesota’s workforce.What began as a vocational technical institute atTech High School in 1968, is now part of theMinnesota State Colleges and Universities system,serving over 12,000 students per year.

While proud of its “vo-tech” beginnings, thecollege has evolved into a “real” college that offerstechnical education in several areas that are key tothe economic development of central Minnesota.

Students choose from programs in man-ufacturing technology, construction technol-ogy, transportation technology, business man-agement, information technology, and healthand human services. Additionally, in partner-ship with Anoka Ramsey CommunityCollege, students can earn an AA degree—the

first two years of a four-year degree.Full-time students usually complete pro-

grams of study in one or two years and graduatesget jobs in the region. Placement rates at the col-lege have averaged 98% over the past five yearswith nearly 80% remaining in central Minnesota.

With over 100% growth in 10 years, it is easyto see how St. Cloud Technical College impactscentral Minnesota. A recent survey conducted byWilder Research finds that students and staff of St.Cloud Technical College add more than $57 mil-

lion to the local econo-my each year.

St. Cloud TechnicalCollege continues to bethe provider of HIREeducation in centralMinnesota.

Prepared for a lifetimeStudents in a business class developed a feasibil-

ity study for a life-science industrial park inMonticello. Engineering students built a formulacar that earned considerable attention in an inter-national competition. Students regularly conductecological research for the U.S. Army NationalGuard at Camp Ripley. Physical-education majorshelp children with disabilities learn to swim.Biological sciences students gather MississippiRiver samples for a study on the effects of water-way contaminants on fish.

Those real-world experiences help preparestudents at St. Cloud State for Central Minnesota’sever-changing workforce needs.

At St. Cloud State, which balances strongliberal arts programs with specialized careerpreparation, students work with dedicated pro-fessors who share their expertise and provideopportunities for learning and leadership, expe-

rience and exploration. Students build their cre-dentials through class projects, research, intern-ships, campus activities, community service,study abroad, and interaction with people fromdiverse backgrounds. St. Cloud State graduateshave strong analytical, writing, and speakingskills, and have been exposed to role models,methods, and the language of their fields inpreparation for the workplace.

The 16,000 students at St. Cloud State haveaccess to 175 majors, minors, and pre-profession-al programs in business, education, fine arts andhumanities, social sciences, and science and engi-neering as well as 50 master’s degrees. They leavethe university ready to make immediate contribu-tions in the workplace, but because of their four-year liberal arts background and their collegeexperiences, they’re also prepared for a lifetime oflearning and professional development. www.stcloudstate.edu

www.sctc.edu

13Spring 2008


The demographic shift starts this year asMinnesota is expected to see a 30 percentincrease in workers reaching the averageretirement age of sixty-two, according to thestate demographer’s office.

Cameron Macht, regional analyst for theMinnesota Department of Employment andEconomic Development (DEED), says thatnorthwest and southwest Minnesota may behit the hardest. Central Minnesota, he says,may be better positioned to weather animpending “crisis,” due to its educationalattainment, workforce participation, and pop-ulation growth in ages twenty-five to forty-four, the prime working years.

“We can’t call it a crisis yet, but this work-force shortage could be crippling to someregions and industries,” says Macht. “We’relike weather people trying to predict theweather ten years from now. It’s an informedguess, but it’s still a guess.”

The state demographer’s office also pre-dicts that both older and younger workers aremore likely to work part-time. Some babyboomers will help meet future needs by return-ing to the labor force or remaining in the laborforce longer than previous generations.

“My biggest concern is that centralMinnesota companies will have to turn away bigbusiness because they do not have the labor,”adds Tom Moore, president of the St. CloudArea Economic Development Partnership.

The Recruiting RevolutionSome mornings Dan Pflepsen would

prefer not to leave for work so he doesn’t.He picks up his laptop, plugs in his voice-over-IP phone, and starts receiving callsfrom the comforts of home. The flexibilityallows the twenty-five-year-old salesman tobe a top producer for Marco BusinessProducts in St. Cloud.

I M A G I N E A W O R K F O R C E E X O D U S about the size ofMinneapolis. As 381,000 Minnesota baby boomers lockstep towardthe retirement age of sixty-five by 2015, they will bequeath the toolsof their trades to a generation that’s not nearly as large or experi-enced. In fact, the Minnesota State Demographic Center estimatesthat their entry-level replacements (ages sixteen to twenty-four) willonly number about 330,000. That’s 51,000 workers short.Is a crisis silently looming?

15Spring 2008

“I like the idea that I can control myschedule,” he says. “It gives me the ability tohave a healthy home life and a productivework life.”

Hard-working professionals such asPflepsen will be in high demand in the nextdecade. Boosting productivity and attracting

qualified workers will challenge employers tobecome even more creative and flexible intheir compensation, benefits, job descriptions,and scheduling, says Kristin Wolff, director of

community partnerships at the Corporationfor a Skilled Workforce based in Michigan.The traditional eight-to-five job likely will bechallenged by workers—young and old—interested in flexible hours.

Sales occupations will see the greatestneed for new entrants in central Minnesotawith nearly ten thousand openings by 2014.Struggling to secure a constant stream of tal-ented sales professionals three years ago,Marco started offering a paid internship forsales students at St. Cloud TechnicalCollege, says Barry Opatz, director of mar-keting at Marco.

“The old days of career fairs have a place,but it’s not enough,” says Opatz. “We’re find-ing we have to have a more aggressiveapproach to draw people to our company.”

Marco has broadened its efforts by offeringscholarships and initiating an award program atstudent sales competitions. Their goal is toattract sales graduates to one of Marco’s sevenlocations in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Marco’s paid internship program attract-ed Pflepsen in 2005. The company’s family-friendly culture, employee stock ownershipplan and cutting-edge technology led him toaccept a full-time position.

“It was a good opportunity for someonegoing into the direct sales business and busi-ness sales to see if it was a good fit,” he says.Today, Pflepsen foresees himself retiring fromMarco—a rarity among today’s generation ofworkers. “I love the company, and I love whatI do,” he adds.

Programs like Marco’s will become evenmore important in the next decade as thenation faces slowed population growth. TheU.S. population is expected to grow to 420million by 2050, with the rate becoming slug-gish after 2030 and reaching levels not seensince the Great Depression, according to theU.S. Census. By 2010, empty nesters will out-number families with children for the firsttime in Benton, Stearns, Sherburne, andWright counties.

“The most challenging part of my job overthe next ten years will be keeping up withchange,” says Pflepsen. “There is so much newand emerging technology that we’ll have toevaluate as a company.”

Seeing an increased demand for training,Marco hired a training director in 2006 anddeveloped a ninety-day training program tobetter equip its workers to serve the company’sgrowing customer base, Opatz says.


YOUNG GUN: Dan Pflepsen, Marco Business Products

17Spring 2008

Silver and GoldThe aging baby-boomer generation will

also heighten demand and wages for healthcarejobs. At HealthPartners Central MinnesotaClinics, finding nurses, physicians, and pharma-cists is a full-time job.

Physician recruiter Kathy CummingO’Hara does not wait for an opening to beginher search. She scours the Midwest for nativeMinnesotans wanting to return home, focusingher attention on residency programs inNebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin, whereHealthPartners has had the most success.

A critical need for nurses in the next decadewill put pressure on healthcare organizationssuch as HealthPartners. A national shortage willgrow in the next ten years as many nurses reachretirement age and there are not enough newentrants in the labor force. HealthPartners has ayoung staff, but the organization still faces a lossof about 20 percent of its nursing and medicalassistant staff due to retirement within the nextten years, says Karen Hoeschen, human-resources manager.

HealthPartners leaders help shape andattract the future workforce by serving onadvisory boards at area colleges. But some softskills are hard to teach and even harder tocome by. Hoeschen looks for individuals withsuperior customer service skills, and hersearch does not end at five p.m.

“When I go shopping and I’m at Target andI see someone who’s good at customer service,I’ll ask them what they are interested in doing,”she says.

Sharpening SkillsMany youth already possess technological

knowledge and expertise, but future workforcesuccess may depend upon on schools and busi-nesses working together to hone the next gener-ation’s soft skills.

Partnerships have begun to form andgrow throughout the region in recent years,but they will need to become more prevalentover the next decade. Nearly half, or 250Minnesota manufacturers, that responded tothe 2007 Minnesota Skills Gap Survey had yetto collaborate with educational institutions—a key to overcoming workforce challenges andfostering high-skilled workers. That putsMinnesota behind the national rate identifiedby the National Association of Manufacturers.

The Stearns-Benton Employment &

Training Council and St. Cloud TechnicalCollege partner with area employers to identifytraining needs and develop customized trainingprogram. Workforce U, a new program offeredthrough the council, sprang from employer con-cerns that workers lacked job skills, such aspunctuality, dependability, and problem-solving.

Workforce U faced an instant demand itsfirst year, serving nearly seven hundred stu-dents. Now in its third year, the program part-ners with area business leaders to develop anevolving curriculum centered on developingtechnical and soft skills.

“Can we change the way that we’ve alwaysdone things? Can we meet in the middle andwork together? Those are the big questions thathave yet to be answered,” says Kathy Gaalswyk,Initiative Foundation president. “Students,workers, schools, businesses, and communityleaders will all have to adapt their mindsets andsystems to benefit each other. Sometimes, it’seasier said than done, but that’s the lever thatwill put our train on a different track.”

React at IQMAG.ORG


19Spring 2008


Central Minnesota employers arejoining a national chorus of voicesbemoaning the erosion of soft skills inyoung workers. Soft skills are looselydefined as the non-technical skills thatmake people good employees—such asintegrity, teamwork, decision-making,and communication—the foundation of asolid work ethic.

According to the 2006 study, “AreThey Really Ready to Work?” by fournational business associations, 75 percentof surveyed employers said that incominghigh-school graduates were deficient inthese “applied skills.” Another 40 percentsaid that high-school graduates lack thesoft skills needed even for entry-level jobs.Bill Scarince is one of those employers.

“Ten years ago, about fifteen out oftwenty applicants would meet our expec-tations for technical and people skills,”says Scarince. “Today, it’s only two orthree out of twenty.”

W.F. Scarince, Inc. is a precision-welding manufacturer in Sauk Rapids.

“I have a hard time finding kids witha good work ethic, dependability. Theydon’t understand that they have to showup for work and they’re dismayed whentheir supervisor is upset if they skip,” headds. “They just don’t seem to have theskills to make it possible to hire them.”

The America’s Promise Alliancereports that more employers are makingsignificant investments in remedial train-ing. In response to mounting businessconcerns, even prestigious universities,such as Carnegie-Mellon, MIT,

Vanderbilt, and Yale have added soft-skills components to business and MBAprograms. Scarince simply changed hishiring practices.

“It has come to the point now whereI just try to hire nice people instead ofskilled welders,” he says. “I can teach youto weld, but if you have a poor work ethicand can’t get along, it doesn’t really mat-ter what you’re good at.”

In the 1980s, when Ginger Glennbegan to notice soft-skills issues amongyoung employees, she attributed it to alack of perception that every person’s jobis critical to the success of the company. Toher surprise, she wasn’t the only Princetonemployer facing this new challenge.

With support from the InitiativeFoundation, Glenn Metalcraft, a metal-spinning manufacturer, joined forces withother area businesses to form the EastCentral Minnesota Workforce Partnership.

“Together, we worked with fourteenschools to develop an employability soft-skills list,” says Glenn. “I try to teach ouryoung employees that they have personalvalue. We show them how much they areneeded to do their best and how every-thing they do contributes to the whole.People in manufacturing deserve to berespected as much as anybody in a pro-fessional occupation.”

Glenn also began her own high-school apprenticeship program, the firstregistered by the U.S. Department ofLabor since World War II. The program isdesigned to teach soft skills, while allow-ing students to legally work three days

LISTEN UP, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN.Employers believe you have a problem. Not all of you, but enoughto call it a trend. It’s not about your intelligence, confidence, orenthusiasm. According to your future bosses, it’s more fundamen-tal and even more frustrating—things like working hard, thinkingindependently, getting along with customers and co-workers, andshowing up on time (or at all, for that matter). Sure, you can writeit off as every generation complaining about the next one. But whenit comes to business survival, perception is reality.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

“It has come to the

point now where

I just try to hire

nice people instead

of skilled welders.

I can teach you to

weld, but if you

have a poor work

ethic and can’t get

along, it doesn’t

really matter what

you’re good at.”

—Bill Scarince

Leadership

Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals. Use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others.

Professionalism & Work Ethic

Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, suchas punctuality, cooperation, and time/workload management.

Critical-Thinking & Problem-Solving

Exercise sound reasoning and analytical thinking. Use facts and data to solve workplace problems.

Creativity & Innovation

Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work.Communicate new ideas to others.

Teamwork & Diversity

Build relationships with colleagues and customers. Learn from and work with diverse teams. Manage conflicts.

Oral & Written Communications

Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively.

Lifelong Learning & Self-Direction

Be able to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills. Monitor learning needs and learn from mistakes.

Ethics & Social Responsibility

Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior. Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind.

Information Technology

Select and use technology to accomplish tasks. Apply computing skills to problem-solving.

Sources: The Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Do You Have WhatEmployers Want?

21Spring 2008

22 Initiative Quarterly

By Dawn ZimmermanIllustration by Chris McAllisterPhotography by Jim Altobell

23Spring 2008

There were no two-way mirrors or secret recordings,but a handful of high-school juniors and seniors were

surely under surveillance in Morrison County. In 2007, stu-dents met face-to-face with forty business and educationleaders probing workforce challenges and fresh partnerships.“So, how many of you have decided on a career?” asked themoderator. They all raised their hands. “Okay, how manythink you need to move to find a job?” Again, all hands wentup. As students spouted one dream job after another, the

adults were stunned at what they heard.

“Every single career could be found right here inMorrison County,” says Sandy Voigt, program man-ager of technology finance at the InitiativeFoundation. In the next decade, removing students’blinders to opportunities in their backyards willchallenge leaders as the region faces a labor shortageand competes with the world for talent.

A startling demographic shift in the labor forcewill result in 1.1 million total job openings statewidebetween 2004–2014, according to the Minnesota

Common-Sense Partnerships Link Students, Schools, and Businesses


A B O V E

NO SUBSTITUTE: Twyla Flaws, HR manager for Merrifield’s Clow Stamping, introduces high-school students to high-tech manufacturing.

R I G H T

IN THE SHADOW: Through the Bridges partnership, senior Katie Geffell explored hometown careers at Brainerd’s ConsolidatedTelecommunications Company.

Department of Employment and EconomicDevelopment. A need to fill nearly 122,200openings in central Minnesota will demand aconstant environment of trailblazing teamwork.

“We’re going to need to be more efficient,effective, and comfortable with all modes of col-laboration,” says Kristin Wolff, director of com-munity initiatives at the Corporation for a SkilledWorkforce, a national nonprofit for research andpolicy based in Michigan.

Trailblazers in their own right, MorrisonCounty is one of a growing number of promisingworkforce partnerships in central Minnesota.

Katie Geffell, a senior at Crosby-IrontonHigh School, never thought she could take herfuture business degree to ConsolidatedTelecommunications Company (CTC), a home-town employer, until she participated in a groupjob-shadow this year through the Brainerd LakesChamber’s Bridges Career Academies andWorkplace Connection.

Geffell didn’t know what to expect whenshe signed up for the Bridges program earlierthis school year. But in recent months, theprogram has helped her further define herplans after graduation. “(CTC) was differentthan I expected,” she says. “It’s narrowed

down my choices for what I want in a career.”According to Voigt, the upstart Bridges pro-

gram represents a near-perfect partnership that isquickly becoming a Minnesota model of com-mon-sense success.

It works like this: Local businesses identifyhigh-demand careers and skills. They offertours, job-shadowing, internships, and class-room presentations. High schools providecareer counseling, teacher “internships,” andrelevant coursework. Colleges customize pro-grams and bring courses to the high school fordual-credit opportunities. Chambers and eco-nomic development leaders keep everyone talk-ing and working together. Students simply workhard, ask questions, and choose a career—hopefully, a hometown career.

The program’s no-barriers approach andquick launch have turned heads throughout thestate. Bridges has received attention from theGovernor’s Workforce Council and MinnesotaEducation Commissioner Alice Seagren, whohave commended the program and are interestedin how it unfolds.

“Bridges is one of those simple ideas thatmakes so much sense that you wonder why it’snot happening everywhere,” says Voigt.

“Everybody talks, everybody adapts, andeverybody wins.”

Why isn’t it happening everywhere? Voigtsays turf issues often stand in the way of reach-ing the right people at the right time. Businesscompetitors feel uneasy about sharing informa-tion. High school restrictions prevent employ-ers from connecting with students. Often,everyone operates within their own systems,with their own agendas.

But a laundry list of workforce needs isbreaking down barriers and leading highschools, colleges, nonprofits, and businesses tocome together and prepare the community forthe future.

“It’s not about turf,” says Twyla Flaws, whohelped pioneer the Bridges program as ClowStamping’s human resources manager inMerrifield. “It’s about success.”

Dual-credit courses offered through theBridges Academy focus on five high-demandindustries identified by the Brainerd LakesChamber’s workforce development councilbased on DEED projections. They are: appliedengineering, health services, manufacturingtechnology, business administration, and nurs-ing. Last fall, the academy provided sixteen col-

25Spring 2008

lege-level courses in five school districts.A decline in industrial technology programs

in area high schools has made it more challeng-ing for employers, such as Clow Stamping, toattract youth to manufacturing careers. TheBridges program provides a connecting pointbetween employers and students who may nothave manufacturing on their radar screens.

“It’s vital,” adds Flaws. “No one is going intomanufacturing careers. It’s not promoted, butonce kids get here, they’re like, ‘Oh, cool!’”

Bridges focuses on exposing teens to anarray of career choices and the skills needed tosucceed. Soft skills in attendance, dependability,and critical-thinking top employers’ wish lists.

Mary Gottsch, director of the Bridges pro-grams, has seen efforts open unexpected careerpaths for students, such as her daughter, Katie,who never planned to pursue advanced place-ment classes or post-secondary options. A jun-ior at Crosby-Ironton High School, Katie couldnow graduate with two years of college credits.

A healthcare careers course and job-shad-owing opportunities sparked Katie’s interest inradiology, a career her mother believes shewould have never known about or consideredwithout the program.

“What we’re doing is hopefully exposingstudents, while they’re still in their high-school

years, to a variety of career options,” says BeckyBest, dean of external studies at Central LakesCollege in Brainerd. “I’m hoping they will be ableto jumpstart their careers during their K–12 andpost-secondary education.” That will make themmore successful and help the region better meetits workforce needs, she says.

Brainerd may be at the forefront, but they’rehardly alone in the partnership revolution. In2002, the Partners for Strategic Growth bandedtogether to research the workforce, community,and economy of Stearns and Benton counties.

Its community assessment churned tenattributes, such as business size, employment,productivity, and profitability to crank out a listof strategic industries that power the area’s econ-omy: business services, health services, engi-neering/management, manufacturing, print-ing/publishing, and wholesale trade. The studyprovided a target for several school-to-workprojects that now focus on these types of careersand related skills.

Bracing for a national bioscience boom, acoalition of central Minnesota business, econom-ic development, and education leaders launchedthe Science Initiative of Central Minnesota(SICM) to emphasize the region’s assets and drawscience-based businesses to the region. Thegroup set an early goal to bring at least two hun-

dred high-paying bioscience jobs to the St. Cloudarea by the end of 2008.

Dr. David DeGroote, dean of the St. CloudState University’s College of Science andEngineering, spearheaded efforts to develop amaster’s program that aims to address a criticalneed in the medical device industry for work-ers specializing in regulatory affairs, clinical tri-als, and quality systems. The program isbelieved to be the first of its kind in theMidwest and the first in the country to focusspecifically on medical devices.

Leaders say that similar innovations will beneeded to fill workforce needs and offer youngworkers opportunities to find success close tohome. This will call CEOs, college presidents,civic leaders, and conscientious citizens to gobeyond traditional models to cultivate partner-ships, says Kathy Gaalswyk, president of theInitiative Foundation.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach,” saysGaalswyk. “We have to identify what the needsreally are in our communities and be intentionalabout providing the right learning opportunitiesthat will equip our students.”

React at IQMAG.ORG

Promote TourismPartner with high schools or colleges tohost interactive student tours. Show howclassroom concepts relate to local jobopportunities. Leave plenty of time for Q&A.

Fair WellBring the future to students by attending ororganizing a school career fair. Think youngand emphasize the “cool factors.” Bring infoabout education, wages, and openings.

Cast ShadowsCreate a formal job-shadowing program thatlinks students with model employees. Treateach student like a VIP customer and expandhis or her role from observer to doer.

Revive the InternTransform college internships into temp-to-hire programs. Make positions competitiveand meaningful to attract top students, thenup the ante by offering a stipend or scholar-ship that rivals other part-time wages.

Go Back to SchoolWhat makes a class more interesting than aguest speaker with fun activities that bringlearning to life? Host or volunteer as aspeaker in classes and youth organizations.

. . . or Skip SchoolEncourage teachers to take a day off for abusiness tour or job-shadow. Discuss work-force needs. You can bet they’ll share theirexperiences with students.

Simple Ideas to Link Learning & Earning

Source: Bridges Career Workplace Connection, Initiative Foundation

26 Initiative Quarterly

GAME ON: Kelly Murphy pondersher first move with mom, Christine(left), and career counselor, LindaDockter (right).

Eighteen-year-old Kelly Murphy stands ready at square-one. Flanked by her parents andcareer counselor at Brainerd High School, she can finally peer down the crisscrossing

paths of education and job opportunities. Kelly wants to be a sonographer—the ultrasound person who captures those first grainy images of babies and

inner organs. Her first decision is a big one. And it’s a decision thatmany Minnesota families are making alone, unaware as the shiftingworkforce landscape challenges time-tested truths about what ittakes to succeed.

Kelly didn’t begin to seriously consider her education and careeroptions until she was a junior. And like many students, her interests

wavered—from real estate to orthodontics. She learned about sonogra-phy from a teacher and the career intrigued her. “I figured out that I didn’twant to do something involving blood,” she says.

“I think she’s found something that fits,” her mom, Christine Murphy,adds. “Kelly spent a lot of time researching.”

She also spent valuable time talking with Linda Dockter, the careercenter director at Brainerd High School.

“Like I tell all of my students, I believe that high school alone does not

By Britta Reque-DragicevicPhotography by Jim Altobell

Illustration by Andrea Baumann


prepare you for work. You need to dosomething more,” Dockter says. “But noteveryone needs to invest in a four-yeardegree to have a good-paying job.”

Although a 2002 U.S. Census reportestimated that a bachelor’s degree yields$2.1 million in added lifetime income,times may be changing. Today, theMinnesota Department of Employmentand Economic Development (DEED)projects that, between 2004 and 2014,about 78 percent of all Minnesota jobswon’t require a four-year degree as theirmost significant source of training.

“That doesn’t mean advanceddegrees are irrelevant. They’re still thegolden ticket to several careers,” saysJohn Kaliszewski, Initiative Foundationvice-president for economic develop-ment. “But we shouldn’t be telling everykid that they’re a failure if they don’t go toa four-year school.”

Nationally, Minnesota ranks seventhin the number of young adults enrolled inpost-secondary institutions, according to

the Minnesota Office of HigherEducation. In 2005, about 66 percent ofstate high-school graduates enrolled inthe fall following graduation, a significantjump from the 60 percent in 1999.

In Brainerd, the post-secondaryenrollment number has held steady atabout 40 percent, according toSuperintendent Jerry Walseth. However,he says that the percentage of studentsdirectly entering the workforce jumpedfrom 5 percent to 12 percent during the2006–2007 school year.

“What has changed? Our emphasison careers, on sharing info with studentsabout what’s out there,” says Walseth.“We’re providing a variety of exposures tocareers that we didn’t before.”

Many exposures are courtesy ofBrainerd’s “Bridges Career Academies,” astate-recognized partnership among localbusinesses, area schools, the BrainerdLakes Chamber, and Central LakesCollege to offer courses that earn concur-rent high school and college credits.

Bridges now covers the cost of healthcarecourses that are delivered at the highschool. Students job-shadow at St.Joseph’s Medical Center.

As for Murphy, she plans to attendSt. Cloud Technical College, one of afew two-year colleges in Minnesota thatoffer sonography training. When shegraduates, she wants to live and workclose to home.

Such plans may spell good news forboth rural communities with workforceshortages and students who would ratherreturn home than rush to the big city.

“On average, it costs about$120,000 to educate a student inMinnesota from kindergarten throughhigh school,” says Kaliszewski. “If com-munities can bring their graduates backhome instead of preparing them forjobs in the Twin Cities, there’s a big pay-off there.”

According to DEED, Murphy’schosen field of healthcare is forecastedto be in high demand as central

HELP WANTED: Roving Career Counselor programs like those planned in Little Fallscould elevate Minnesota’s 49th place ranking in counselor-to-student ratio.

29Spring 2008

Minnesota experiences a silver tsunami ofaging baby boomers.

“There are many opportunities foryoung adults to work where they live,” saysCraig Nathan, who coordinates workforcedevelopment and training for the RuralMinnesota Concentrated EmploymentProgram (CEP). He’s involved in severalprojects geared at exposing students to localjob opportunities.

Funded by the Initiative Foundation,CentraCare Health Foundation and OttoBremer Foundation, one CEP pilot projectprovided summer scholarships for LittleFalls, Royalton, and Pierz high-school stu-dents to train as certified nursing assis-tants. Last year, fifty students applied forten scholarships. “It’s been a great way toexpose students to the healthcare indus-try,” adds Nathan.

In addition to healthcare, worker-starved manufacturers also have their eyeson high-school students. Leaders are tryingto change negative stereotypes of theindustrial workplace.

“Manufacturing is vibrant here. There isa great need now and in the future,” says TimZipoy, director of the Central Minnesota Jobsand Training Center in Monticello. “Butthere’s this misconception out there thatmanufacturing is dark, dirty, and dangerous.In reality, these are exciting, high-wage jobsthat apply technology, math, and science ona daily basis.”

According to Nathan, high-school expo-sure is a major factor in helping studentsevaluate careers and navigate educationoptions. Traditionally, a student researchedcareers, consulted parents and friends, andmade appointments with his or her guidancecounselor. In Minnesota schools, however,that may be easier said than done.

“Our research tells us that high schoolsare not able to supply career counseling tothe degree they want to,” says Nathan. “Theyattribute it to lack of resources or appropria-tion. Today, Minnesota ranks forty-ninth incounselor-to-student ratio.”

In 2005–2006, the National Center forEducation Statistics reported that Minnesotahad a staggering 811 students per counselor,second only to California in overload. Whenit comes to career exploration, parents andstudents often go it alone.

“In my opinion, there are too manydemands on counselors today,” saysNathan. “Many spend the majority of theirtime helping students schedule classes sothat they’ll meet graduation requirements.They also have to handle discipline andsocial crisis as well as one-on-one counsel-ing for special education.”

Rural Minnesota CEP decided to takeaction. In partnership with the HealthyCommunity Collaborative of MorrisonCounty, they devised the “Roving CareerCounselor” program, with two full-timecounselors floating among five high schoolsto bring additional help to schools.

Brainerd has responded by creating thecareer center, where Dockter spends her dayshelping students prepare for graduation,evaluate their options, and apply to colleges.She also coordinates scholarships and talksto classrooms about career choices.

“I ask students what interests them, andthen we start exploring what kind of jobsmight pay well and match their skills andabilities,” says Dockter. “I use informationfrom the Department of Labor to show kidsthe real numbers when it comes to wages.”

“I’ve always wanted Kelly to followher dreams and to do whatever made herfeel comfortable,” says Kelly’s mom,Christine Murphy. “I didn’t push hertoward or away from anything. We talkedabout the real-life aspects of the job—howas an ultrasound technician, she may notalways be discovering positive results. Sheunderstands that, and I think she’s made agood decision for her future.”

Besides providing moral support, whatelse can parents do? Dockter recommendsthat parents start talking about careersearly—before high school.

“Kids see employment through whattheir parents do,” Dockter said. “When Ihave a student going into teaching and theytell me they want to go to a private college,we talk about their student loans comparedto their salary. It’s a real eye-opener for mostkids, and that’s where parents need to offerguidance.” React at IQMAG.ORG

Minnesota Careers • www.iseek.org/mncareers Minnesota-specific career details, trends, interestinventories, and planning advice on the changingworlds of education and work. Includes sections forboth parents and students.

Trustworthy Career Links for Minnesota Families

Minnesota Office of Higher Education www.getreadyforcollege.orgOne-stop resource for navigating Minnesota’s post-secondaryeducation and training options. Features advice on preparing,selecting, and paying for college.

Minnesota Career Information Systems http://mncis.intocareers.orgAvailable in most high schools and WorkForce Centers through-out the state, MCIS provides current information about careers,education choices, and financial aid. Password required.

CareerOneStop • www.careeronestop.org America’s largest publicly funded resource for career infooffers profiles, labor-market data, and education advice for students, job-seekers, and employers. Sponsored by the U.S.Department of Labor. So

urce

: Den

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In a blue-white world of lab coats, test-tubes, and multi-

plying organisms, Nicole Ruprecht sees her career

through the lens of a microscope. Like the cells she

observes, her industry is constantly evolving, innovating,

and outsmarting. Decades ago, few could fathom the

high-tech skills needed at her workplace, St. Cloud’s

MicroBioLogics. Just as today, few can predict with sci-

entific certainty what career opportunities await young

students. The technologies simply don’t exist yet. But

there are clues, if you know where to look.

By Dawn Zimmerman | Photography by Jim Altobell

Nicole Ruprecht,MicroBioLogics

31Spring 2008

Ruprecht didn’t know where her degree inbiomedical science would lead after she gradu-ated from St. Cloud State University in 2006.Today, she works behind the scenes of theemerging bioscience industry as a quality con-trol technologist at MicroBioLogics.

The local company, which distributesinternationally, creates freeze-dried organismsthat medical clinics and hospitals use to deter-mine if lab tests are positive or negative.Ruprecht troubleshoots microorganisms toensure they are reacting properly and the

results patients receive are accurate.“The average person doesn’t understand the

work we do,” she says. “Most people take forgranted that their test for strep throat, RSV, or aurinary tract infection is correct.”

It’s an ever-changing field that will likelylead to new discoveries that the recent gradu-ate cannot begin to grasp today. Ruprechtalready has seen patients become more inter-ested in the science behind their health.“People are getting so much more concernedabout bacteria,” she adds. “It’s not just that you

have the flu, but why you have the flu.”Jobs in healthcare will dominate the central

Minnesota landscape, but manufacturing, com-puters, mathematics, and bioscience will alsolead the region’s labor force through the nextdecade. Even workers who are not interested inthose high-demand fields will experience afavorable job market where openings surpassavailable labor.

“The days of committing your life to a singlejob are long gone,” says Sandy Voigt, programmanager for technology finance at the Initiative


teach the course at North Branch, Chisago, andForest Lake high schools. The course includeshands-on training through twenty hours of clin-ical experience at Parmly Life Point in ChisagoCity or The Villages of North Branch. Uponcompletion, students receive four or five collegecredits and are eligible to take the MinnesotaNursing Assistant Competency exam.

About 97 percent of students who com-pleted the course last year had planned topursue healthcare careers, according toFairview surveys.

“Long-term, we are going to be able to have

Jobs in healthcare will dominatethe central Minnesota landscape, but manufacturing,computers, mathematics, and bioscience will also lead the region’s labor force throughthe next decade.

Foundation. “I don’t see them ever comingback. Most young people will change careersseveral times in their lifetime and they’ll need tokeep learning to keep their skills marketable.”

Central Minnesota will need nearly 51,000new workers to enter the workforce by 2014 tofill the job openings expected to be created byregional employers, according to the MinnesotaState Demographic Center.

“In central Minnesota, no jobs are reallyexpected to become extinct, or disappear com-pletely in the next five to ten years,” saysCameron Macht, regional analyst at DEED.

Declines are expected in jobs that can bereplaced by technology, such as packaging andfilling machine operators, parking lot atten-dants, switchboard operators, and file clerks,Macht says. Farming, once a cornerstone inthe region, also will face declines and continueto lose its stature, decreasing 17.6 percentfrom 2004–2014.

Healthy PaychecksGrowth in the healthcare and social-assis-

tance industries will define the region over thenext decade, adding the most jobs from 2004 to2014. The local healthcare employment expan-sion will stem from nationwide growth expectedto add 3.5 million jobs, according to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Initially, Ruprecht had her sights set onbecoming a physician. She planned on going onto medical school. But before she did, her workat St. Cloud Hospital changed her mind. “I real-ized physicians work crazy hours and they don’treally get to spend time with patients,” she says.“They don’t get to build relationships.”

Healthcare jobsaccount for nearlyone-third of the top fif-teen high-demand,high-wage occupa-tions identified in the2004–2014 projec-tions. Healthcare sup-port occupations aloneare expected to grow42 percent and have5,200 total openingsby 2014.

An Introductionto Health Care Careerscourse available athigh schools in NorthBranch, ChisagoLakes, and Forest Lakeaims to cultivate thenext generation ofhealthcare workers byexposing youth to thewide opportunitiesavailable in the healthcare sector. Fairview LakesMedical Center, based in Wyoming, started theimmersion program with grants from theInitiative Foundation, Minnesota Department ofHealth, and the United Way.

“It’s a gateway to healthcare careers,” saysCarla Norelius, director of Fairview LakesCommunity Health Outreach. “Not all thekids want to be nurses, but it’s good exposureto healthcare.”

The program has engaged nearly six hun-dred juniors and seniors since it started in 2000.Two local registered nurses received licenses to

ROCK ON: In-demand jobs at St. Cloud’s Park Industries are changingperceptions about manufacturing careers.

33Spring 2008

these needed healthcare professionals,” addsNorelius. “In the community, we’re seeing thebenefit right away,” with students hired as nurs-ing assistants at area healthcare facilities.

A CalculatedApproach

Workforce development leaders expectmath and science skills to become more criticalfor the next generation of workers as careers inhealthcare, manufacturing, math, and sciencerise to the top.

“There are a lot of opportunities for sci-

ence jobs, especially with companies likeBoston Scientific and Medtronic in the TwinCities,” says Ruprecht. “There are a lot of futurejobs for people like me.”

Computer and mathematics occupationsrank second in the fastest-growing fields in cen-tral Minnesota, expecting to grow 32.8 percentby 2014 and have nearly 1,100 openings. Thebusiness and financial field also is projected tolead regional growth with a 27.6 percentincrease and nearly 4,500 openings.

Science jobs, like many others, will increas-ingly take workers overseas for partnershipswith their Chinese, Indian, or Japanese counter-parts. A science-exchange program at theCollege of St. Benedict and St. John’s Universityalready is trying to foster connections betweenlocal students and their Chinese peers atSouthwest University. The program, started bychemistry professor Henry Jakubowski, aims togive students a broader view of the scientificworld and better prepare them for growingworkforce demands.

Techno-Manufacturing

Healthcare may be an obvious high-demand sector given the aging baby boomerpopulation, but the role of manufacturing

jobs certainly may be the unsung story thatshapes the region in the next five to ten years.

Central Minnesota is expected to add 90percent of the state’s 3,553 new manufactur-ing jobs from 2004 to 2014, according toDEED. But technology will increase demandfor higher-skilled manufacturing workers. A2007 survey of 250 Minnesota manufactur-ers found that more than half of them alreadyfaced moderate to severe shortages due to alack of qualified applicants. The MinnesotaSkills Gap Survey for Manufacturing identi-fied skilled production workers, scientists,and engineers in the highest demand.

The region’s leading manufacturers, suchas Park Industries, Komo Machine, and ClowStamping, are actively working to engage thenext generation of workers by giving themtours, emphasizing the “cool” factor, and dis-pelling stereotypes that manufacturing jobsare low-paying and mundane.

“I don’t know what future jobs in man-ufacturing are going to be,” says TwylaFlaws, human resource manager at ClowStamping in Merrifield. “They don’t exist yet.They are going to be opportunities we’venever imagined.”

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Fast-ForwardHigh-Demand, High-Wage Careers in Central Minnesota, 2004-2014

Projected MedianGrowth Salary (2007)

Medical Records & Health Info Technicians 55% $35,162 Medical Transcriptionists 53% $32,723 Medical Assistants 52% $30,832 Radiologic Technologists & Technicians 45% $54,791 Medical & Clinical Lab Technicians 45% $39,119 Computer Software Engineers 43% $65,525 Community & Social Service Specialists 43% $40,012 Industrial Engineering Technicians 40% $41,285 Child, Family, & School Social Workers 39% $47,712 Cabinet-Makers & Bench Carpenters 38% $33,969 Substance Abuse & Behavioral Counselors 37% $45,563 Business Operations Specialists 36% $42,238 Special Education Teachers: Pre-K & Kindergarten 34% $47,525 Registered Nurses 33% $65,517

Source: Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

tenth and twelfth grade years, aswell as write two essays about theirexperiences. In Mora, the high-school career center is bringing stu-dents together with local craftspeo-ple and business owners in an effortto revitalize their downtown.

Kevin LaNave is the directorof the Center for Service-Learningand Social Change, a St. Cloud-based nonprofit organization thatworks with educators and youth.He notes that students build skillsin leadership, critical thinking, and prob-lem-solving as well as a growing commit-ment to community service.

“Service-learning is a powerful way forstudents to develop their abilities toencounter and collaborate with others,”LaNave says. “Students develop this aware-ness of the world and their self in the world.It’s rich in terms of impact.”

According to Michelle Kamenov, serv-ice-learning specialist and counselor liaisonfor the Minnesota Department of Education,several studies have linked service-learningexperiences to greater motivation for learn-ing, improved attendance, higher grades, andenhanced preparation for the workforce.

“Most business owners see these high-school experiences and relevant education askeys to building a strong, future workforce,”says John Kaliszewski, the InitiativeFoundation’s vice-president for economicdevelopment. “The results are there, studentscrave it, and businesses and nonprofits aremore than willing to work with schools tomake it happen.”

So, why isn’t it happening more often?LaNave says the most common answer is

- CLASSROOM

Strength of ServiceService-Learning Adds Real World to the School Day

In her high-school science classes today,Jenny Schmidt rarely asks the age-old

question: “Why do we have to learn thisstuff anyway?” Thanks to experiences thatunite classroom concepts with real-worldservice, the eighteen-year-old alreadyknows the answer.

As part of a Health Careers class, Jennywas able to job-shadow at a long-term carefacility and complete ten volunteer hours atthe St. Cloud VA Medical Center. That rein-forced her interest in a pre-med major aswell as in the high-school courses that willprepare her for it.

“You learn life skills that you won’tlearn sitting in school,” says Schmidt, whonow works part-time at St. Cloud Hospital.“You learn how to work with people and youbring so much more to the classroom to dis-cuss. You also learn responsibility—youhave to show up for your shift on time.”

Such experiences comprise a growingacademic trend called service-learning. Itdiffers from volunteering or communityservice because it is a focused part oflearning—which emphasizes key employ-ability and life skills—and is used to“teach by doing.”

“It’s a win-win situation for students.For example, Somali students can teach theirlanguage to sixth-graders who are learningabout Somalia,” says Jayne Greeney, whocoordinates service-learning and youth serv-ice in the St. Cloud school district. “We hadelementary students learning about birds, soSt. Cloud Technical College students camein and helped them build birdhouses.”

St. Cloud’s Cathedral High Schoolrequires that all students complete seventyhours of community service between their

CLASS ACT: Senior Jenny Schmidt test-drives healthcarecareers by volunteering at St. Cloud’s VA Medical Center.

BY BRITTA REQUE-DRAGICEVIC


limited time and financial resources in thewake of perennial budget cuts and the feder-al No Child Left Behind Act, which mandatesannual progress in standardized testing. Buthe also adds that schools don’t have tochoose between service-learning and achiev-ing math, science, and reading outcomes.

“Service-learning is a different path tothe same destination,” says LaNave. “Whendone well, it can yield levels of learning thatexceed what is possible through traditionallearning methods.”

The words, “limited resources,” oftenconjure a lack of funding for student trans-portation or materials. Instead, LaNavemaintains that time is a much bigger obsta-cle. Faculty training, planning, and buildingcommunity relationships are essential.

“When people are asked what theythink the mission of schools ought to be,they often say that learning should be rele-vant to the community, with real-world expe-riences outside the classroom,” adds LaNave.“We have to support these goals with morethan just words, because employers are notjust looking for good workers—they’re alsolooking for good people and good citizens.”React at IQMAG.ORG

Spring 2008 35

Les Engel, CEO of Sauk Rapids’engineering consulting firm, EngelMetallurgical, has spent decadesadvising school leaders on curricu-lum that has morphed classroomsinto hands-on learning centers.

According to Engel, technicalcolleges have always done a great jobpreparing students and the classroomis keeping up with technology. Still,he believes people don’t know aboutlocal workforce challenges.

“There’s been an image createdthat tells the average person in thecommunity that manufacturing isdead—it all went to China and that’snot true,” says Engel. “This need fortrained workers is critical.”

To meet workforce needs and betterserve students, St. Cloud Technical College,Pine Technical College, and Central LakesCollege are among the seven two-yearschools that launched the 360ºManufacturing and Applied EngineeringCenter of Excellence. Bemidji StateUniversity is the lead four-year institution.The partnership allows students to transferbetween schools without education gaps orlost credits.

Robert Musgrove, president of PineTechnical College, explains that each schoolspecializes in an advanced technology that’sopen to any student studying at a partnerschool. At PTC, it’s rapid prototyping—theprocess of developing a new product in daysinstead of months.

“Everyone is keenly aware of thenursing shortage,” says Musgrove, “butthat shortage overshadows needs and

HIGHER EDUCATION

Revolutions per MinuteColleges Fine-Tune Programs for Workforce Needs

Drive your rattling car to McKay’sFamily Auto in Waite Park and you’ll

be lucky to see half of Arsenio Clinton.The rest of him will be under the hood orrunning through codes on a diagnosticscanner. Ho hum. It’s what you’d expectfrom a service guy—until you catch aglimpse of his face.

Is he old enough to have a driver’slicense?

Rest easy, your car is in experiencedhands. Less than a year removed from highschool, Arsenio is among the 250 studentswho participate in St. Cloud TechnicalCollege’s Discovery Academy each year.Through hands-on courses that earn highschool and college credits, students cantest-drive careers in health, automotives,computers, pre-engineering, carpentry,and welding.

Glen Ertl, McKay’s service manager,says Discovery Academy students come inknowing how to dig into a vehicle and useprofessional tools—saving the companytime and money.

Arsenio entered McKay’s with six-teen college credits and the knowledge todo general service work, tire mounts,and oil changes. The nineteen-year-old isnow taking more advanced courses andwill graduate early to pursue full-timework at McKay’s.

As central Minnesota colleges andbusinesses put their heads together tomeet local workforce needs, the big win-ners are stronger economies and studentslike Arsenio.

“It definitely prepared me for thefuture,” says Arsenio.

JUMP-START: Dual credits and hands-on traininghelped Arsenio Clinton land a job early at McKay’sFamily Auto, owned by Patty Yarbrough.

BY SARAH COLBURN


shortages in other areas.” St. Cloud State University is also adapt-

ing its programs to stay on the cutting edge.In a regional partnership to attract high-tech,high-wage bioscience companies, it hatcheda new masters program in regulatory affairswith a focus on medical devices. Graduateswill fill a glaring need—keeping biosciencecompanies in-line with FDA requirementsfor new products.

“It’s a step along an evolutionary path-way in the way universities like ours workwith business,” says Dr. Earl Potter, SCSUpresident and Initiative Foundation trustee.

According to Potter, the emphasis onjob skills has some worried that traditionaleducation values are being tossed aside forthe workforce demands of today. Now morethan ever, he says, it will be a student’s con-tinuing education, critical-thinking skills,and ability to see the big picture that willhelp them succeed.

React at IQMAG.ORG

Spring 2008 37

ments in work-force training. Assteadfast babyboomers get readyto punch out, it’sall in the name ofrecruiting andretaining the elu-sive young worker.

“The cost to replace an employee istypically about 20 percent of their annualwages,” says John Kaliszewski, vice-presi-dent for economic development at theInitiative Foundation. “If you’re anemployer with high turnover, you reallyhave to see worker retention investments asa way of spending money to save money.”

Times have changed, according toTwyla Flaws, twenty-six-year veteran andpersonnel manager at Clow Stamping.Employers are selling themselves toprospective employees, in stark contrast tothe days when it was the other way around.

“Nowadays, younger workers don’tintend to stay with their job for twenty

RECRUIT & RETAIN

Youth is ServedBusinesses Bend to Attract Young Workers

Dustin Wright is different than mosttwenty-somethings. He doesn’t see

himself changing careers seven to ninetimes, as some experts predict for his gen-eration. Dustin actually knows where hewants to work for the rest of his life. Heknew it before graduating high schoolthree years ago, when he talked to workersat Clow Stamping in Merrifield.

“I love working with machinery,” saysthe newly promoted electrical dischargemachine (EDM) operator. “There’s a lotof power there. It’s hands-on, formingsteel, and it’s loud. I like that.”

What Dustin didn’t like, however,were mornings. Rather than crowbar himinto a rigid schedule that may have drivenhim to the Sunday want ads, ClowStamping offered flexible hours during itssecond and third shifts.

Twenty-something Holly Van DeVenter wears a collar of a different color.The up-and-coming CPA joinedLarsonAllen a year ago. She was working inOhio for the U.S. Department of Defensewhen she found the Minnesota accountingfirm during an Internet job search.

“I wanted to move back,” she explains.“One of my goals is to own a lake home, soliving in Brainerd is a great start.”

But Van De Venter didn’t want to bepigeon-holed for her entire career.LarsonAllen offered a chance to work inseveral areas before involving her in thedecision of where to specialize.

Those and hundreds of other inven-tive perks have allowed central Minnesotacompanies to steer clear of operationalslowdowns and protect mammoth invest-

years,” says Flaws. “They’re more apt tosay, ‘How does this job fit into my life andmy schedule?’”

In addition to paying higher wagesand benefits, Clow Stamping took a giantstep outside the box by instituting an“open-employment” option.

“If someone wants to leave here totake another job, we tell them to go aheadand do it. Take a leave of absence, take apersonal leave—but don’t quit,” explainsFlaws. “After six months or a year, if youwant to come back, come on back.”

Several employees have taken advan-tage of the unique opportunity to trysomething new—working on a road crew,managing an apartment complex, or mov-ing to the Twin Cities. If they return toClow, they still have their skills, knowl-edge, and seniority—and they don’trequire re-training.

“Happy workers are productive work-ers,” says Flaws. “If you’re grumbling atyour job and you don’t like what you do,you’re not going to be as efficient or asgood as you would be otherwise. It all boilsdown to having a good fit between yourworkers and your company.”

React at IQMAG.ORG

STEEL-HEARTED: Flexible hours and powerful equipment keep DustinWright faithful to Clow Stamping in Merrifield.

BY TENLEE LUND


“Nowadays, younger workers don’t intend to stay with their job

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“It’s definitely an asset to have staff withsuch diverse backgrounds,” says KathyGaalswyk, foundation president. “They allbring different things to the table yet have thesame high level of drive and determination.We’re excited to have these three join us.”

Tricia Holig’s role as program assistant forgrants and training includes providing sup-port to the foundation’s Healthy OrganizationsPartnership and VISTA programs for nonprof-its. Tricia’s previous work experience includesresidential mortgage closing and pharmaceuti-cal benefit management.

With more than twenty-three years oflending and administration experience in thebanking industry, Paul Kleinwachter recently

joined the foundation’s economic developmentteam. As a business finance officer, Paul workswith local business owners and lenders to pro-vide gap financing for start-up or expansionprojects. His goal is to create quality jobs.

Jana Shogren’s experience as a coun-selor and youth program coordinator hasproven useful as she joined the foundation

as a children, youth, and families specialist.Jana’s responsibilities include coordinatingand providing assistance and training tolocal early childhood coalitions and youthengagement initiatives.

Learn more about the twenty-four peoplewho work at the Initiative Foundation by vis-iting: www.ifound.org/aboutus_staff.php.

TALENTED TRIONew Staff Bring Experience, Talent

> P E R S O N N E L

Initiative Quarterly • IQmag.org40

Tricia Holig Paul Kleinwachter Jana Shogren

Every year, more than four hundred prison inmates and ex-offenders re-enter the central Minnesota communities where they oncelived. The stresses of finding a job, a place to live, and rebuidling rela-tionships could send them back to square one—in fact, more than 40percent of prisoners reoffend within the first year of being released.

The Central Minnesota Re-Entry Project is working to change that.Through a mentorship program, referral services, and general support,the nonprofit helps ex-offenders transition back into their communi-ties. “We’re there to help them become good citizens,” explains JoeGibbons, executive director of the St. Cloud based nonprofit. “We don’tgive them money, but we give them hope, support, and resources.”

Along with six other local nonprofits, the Central Minnesota Re-Entry Project was recently selected to participate in the InitiativeFoundation’s Healthy Organizations Partnership (HOP) program. Overthe course of two years they’ll learn about strategic planning, goal set-ting, board development, marketing, and financial management.

“It’s a tough job to meet the growingneed for services with fewer resources,” saysCathy Hartle, senior program manager at theInitiative Foundation. “HOP is designed togive those nonprofits the tools to succeed andcontinue their essential services to those whoneed it most.”

Other organizations selected for HOP:• Child Care Choices, St. Cloud• Five County Mental Health Center, Braham• Foley Area C.A.R.E., Foley• Pelican Lake Association of St. Anna, Avon• St. Cloud All-City Marching Band, St. Cloud• St. Therese Center for Special Ministry, St. Cloud

GOAL: TO LEAD & SERVESeven area nonprofits selected for training

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Joe Gibbons, CentralMinnesota Re-Entry Project

> T R O P H Y C A S E

It turns out that you’re reading an award-winning magazine. Um, again.

In February, the American AdvertisingFederation presented IQ Magazine with fiveregional Addy awards for creative excellence.The awards honored various 2008 covers, fea-tures, and the magazine website,www.IQmag.org. IQ has won seventeenAddys since 2003.

Last year, the Minnesota Magazine &Publications Association awarded IQ itsOverall Excellence award for special interestpublications under a circulation of 100,000.

Bursting onto the national scene, IQ alsoreceived the top award as one of the nation’s bestphilanthropic magazines, from the Virginia-

based Council onFoundations. This isIQ’s second suchhonor, recognizingthe work of founda-tions with $21–100million in assets.

“ M i n n e s o t amodesty aside, we’revery proud to standside-by-side withthe big boys,” says Matt Kilian, InitiativeFoundation director of communications.“Our mission is to build healthy communi-ties, and IQ’s role is to boil down the region-al issues with compelling stories and bullet-

points for leaders.”Kilian credits Brainerd

publisher, Evergreen Press,and a community-focusedteam, virtually all of whomdiscount professional serv-ices to ensure IQ’s long-term survival.

“I’m just the orchestradirector—the wild-hairedguy with a bunch of crum-

pled pages and a wand,” he adds. “The realcredit goes to our talented editorial boards,designers, editors, writers, sales staff, photog-rapher, and printer. They’re the real artistswho make the music.”

HONOR SOCIETYIQ Nabs Regional, State & National Awards

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per week. In addition to accruing two thou-sand hours of valuable apprenticeship expe-rience, students are exposed to every aspectof the manufacturing process. Completionoften results in a full-time job offer and paideducation—a small price to pay for a work-force Glenn trusts.

“Soft skills are mandatory. Studentslearn that when they work for us, there aresome rules,” she says. “Our employees havea ninety-day probation period. If they don’tdemonstrate the required soft skills, theydon’t make it. Our apprentice program hasreally solved the soft skills issue for us.”

Both Glenn and Scarince also reportdoing a lot of “employer parenting.”

“I love these young kids,” adds Glenn.“They seem to need a lot of reassurance andwant to know that you’re there, so in manyways, I’m a caring mom to them. They’re greatgroup of thinkers and participants, but theydon’t yet know how to be independent andneed constant direction and affirmation.”

Clarissa Dumdei, a twenty-two-year-old registered nurse, admits that manyyoung people don’t have soft skills, but shenotices that some older workers lack themas well. She also says employers shouldcommunicate better.

“I was raised on a farm and my parentsmade me hold a job in high school,” saysDumdei. “I learned what employers expectand what it means to work hard. Employersshouldn’t be afraid to tell employees whattheir expectations are. They need to keepthe lines of communication open, too.”

They’re a

great group

of thinkers

and participants,

but they don’t

yet know how to

be independent

and need

constant

direction and

affirmation.”

46

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

—Ginger Glenn

Spring 2008

Sally Brenden, deputy director ofStearns-Benton Employment & TrainingCouncil, agrees that employers need to bemore proactive in telling new workers whatthey expect. She believes that soft skills areteachable and it’s the employer’s responsibilityto discover and maximize talent.

“You know, we are quick to judge youngpeople, but you have to stop and ask, has any-one ever told them what employers expect?”says Brenden. “These kids are tech-savvy,polite, genuine, and honest. They look formeaning—they want to do well and connectwith people. Many have never had anyonebelieve in them or give them somethingimportant to do.”

The 2006 “Every Child, Every Promise”study by the America’s Promise Alliance sug-gests that young people could benefit frommore opportunities to make decisions athome, at school, and within extracurricularactivities. More than one-third of surveyed

youth reported too few opportunities towork in teams, take on leadership roles, andresolve conflicts.

Brenden works with Camp Challenge—aSt. Cloud summer program designed for at-risk youth to experience what future employ-ers will expect of them. They teach soft skillsand offer students paid stipends for theirwork. Students are rated on areas such ascooperation, punctuality, completing tasks,and getting along with others.

“Like it or not, this generation needs toknow what’s in it for them,” adds Brenden.“Some employers are very disrespectful ofyoung workers, like they’re at the bottom ofthe barrel. What’s the incentive for a youngperson to do well in a situation like that?”

Ashley Easley, nineteen, attended CampChallenge for two summers and now attendsSt. Cloud Technical College. “Their supportmeant a lot to me,” says Easley. “One of themost important things I learned was how to

get along with other age groups. I feel moreconfident about myself now.”

According to Ginger Glenn, getting alongcan be a major issue in age-diverse work-places, such as Glenn Metalcraft, where everygeneration has different values, expectations,and work styles.

“We had a lot of resentment from ourolder workers when we brought in these highschool kids,” says Glenn. “I sat them downand asked how they would feel about thesekids if they were their sons or little brothers.That really changed things. Now it’s like thebig-brother program and they get along great.”

“It really comes down to trying to under-stand the other person’s viewpoint and showingrespect,” says Jill Magelssen, owner of St. Cloud’sExpress Personnel Services, a full-service staffingand human relations firm. “When you under-stand better, you communicate better.”

React at IQMAG.ORG

47

GUEST EDITORIAL

Grand CentralMid-Minnesota Surging TowardWorkforce Success

I’ll leave it to the analysts to speculate onwhether the workforce “crisis” should be

characterized as a ripple or a wave. We know this much—in 2006,

Minnesota births were at their highest levelsince 1964. So far, so good, for growing aworkforce. And according to populationprojections, central Minnesota is the fastestgrowing region of the state.

However, while the labor force in theInitiative Foundation’s fourteen counties isprojected to grow nearly 25 percent from2005 to 2015, the number of sixteen- totwenty-four-year-olds is expected todecline just over 7 percent. In contrast, thelabor force aged forty and older is project-ed to increase 42.5 percent during thattime frame.

This leads to a different type of avail-able workforce, one that requires business-es and employees to adjust their expecta-tions and skills.

If we want businesses to grow and pros-per, we’ll need more than strong fingers.We’ll need a firm handshake among all thepartners—education, business, and eco-nomic development—to work together onthe economic health of central Minnesota.

Cultural assumptions persist that ouryoung people are drifting away to the TwinCities for good jobs and quality of life. Haveyou heard about the Cities’ new combinedmarketing campaign? Minneapolis St. Paul:More to Life. Well, there’s more to life in cen-tral Minnesota towns, too.

• Living in central Minnesota allowsyou to take back your time. Commuting

Dan McElroy is the Commissioner of theMinnesota Department of Employment andEconomic Development.DEED’s mission is tosupport the economicsuccess of individuals,businesses, and commu-nities by improvingopportunities for growth.

BY DAN McELROY


“If we want businessesto grow and prosper,

we’ll need more thanstrong fingers. We’ll

need a firm handshakeamong all the partners.”

in most areas means you can leave yourhome and arrive at work with yourmorning fish-house coffee still hot. Thebiggest loss to long-distance commutersis time. Parents have less time to spendwith their children and to volunteer withcommunity organizations.

• More transportation talk:Hinckley is being talked up as a possi-ble stop on a proposed passenger railline from Minneapolis to Duluth—andcould see $340 million in development.

• Minnesota students have one of thebest chances for educational success, accord-ing to the “Quality Counts 2008” report byEducation Week. Nearly forty Minnesota highschools—including Sebeka Secondary andVerndale Secondary in Wadena County,Bertha Secondary in Todd County, and SaukCentre Secondary in Stearns County—areincluded among the “Best High Schools2008” in U.S. News and World Report.

• St. Cloud, alone, has a number of col-lege-level choices, while central Minnesotaboasts at least five MnSCU customized train-ing centers for workforce training and life-long learning. The Minnesota Department ofEmployment and Economic Development(DEED) and MnSCU continue to promoteprofessional development and Job SkillsPartnership collaborations.

• Two new career websites make it easi-er for youth to check on the local economicconditions and look for jobs in central andnorth central Minnesota: www.iseek.org/cen-tral and www.iseek.org/northcentral

• The Northern Technology Initiative

in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine coun-ties was recently awarded a FIRST grant todevelop a long-term economic competitive-ness plan for central Minnesota. FIRSTgrants—Framework for IntegratedRegional Strategies—take the state out ofthe picture and help regions develop a planthat fits their needs.

There are many other economic devel-opment initiatives in central Minnesota thataim to develop and grow a closer-to-homeworkforce. Growth in central Minnesota ishappening. Let’s channel it into a strongfuture for the region. React at IQMAG.ORG

Chris McAllister

Documents

IQ Magazine - Spring 2008