Employment & Economic Assistance - Workforce Mobility
Workforce Mobility Program Overview And Authorization To Amend Employment And
Economic Assistance And Non-Departmental 2022 Budgets
The Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) and Inver Hills Community College (Inver Hills) would like to collaborate with the Dakota County Department of Employment and Economic Assistance and area CareerForce Centers to draw more people into the workforce. This pilot program will provide free tuition in credit or non-credit training for Dakota County residents in key identified in-demand industry sectors. This initiative would also support incumbent workers looking to upskill or shift to high-wage industries. Staff is asking to use $250,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARP) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) funds to finance the program.
The partnership would replicate the successful collaboration between Pine County and Pine Technical and Community College. Pine County used ARP SLFRF funds to support the WorkFast program, providing free training in in-demand areas like manufacturing, healthcare, welding, transportation, and information technology to fill jobs at area businesses. The Workforce Mobility Program will focus on training programs for: CDL Class A; Certified Nursing Assistant; Boiler
Operator; Phlebotomy; Early Childhood & Youth Development; Welding; and Emergency Medical Technician.
The Workforce Mobility Program will prioritize enrollments Dakota County residents ages 18 and older and who are also enrolled in other county programs such as social services, SNAP, etc. and/or are in CDA housing. The next priority group are resident who are not enrolled in programs who have annual family incomes under the 250% of poverty guideline. This will be based on self-attestation. If the number of applications exceeds the number of available training slots, selection will be based on the order of when the colleges receive the applications.
The DCTC and Inver Hills are well-positioned to support workers to re-enter or shift within the workforce. They can leverage marketing expertise and existing partnerships with high schools, community-based organizations, adult basic education providers, employers, and CareerForce Centers to identify unemployed or underemployed individuals. The CareerForce Centers and DakotaScott Workforce Development Board can provide key connections to job seekers and employers as well as provide labor market information.