BREAKOUT SESSION – Track 3: Advanced Manufacturing


Hiawatha Room March 1, 2017 10:45 am - 12:00 pm

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Heather McGannon

How the PIPELINE Project is helping prepare the future workforce – Heather McGannon, Special Projects Unit Manager, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

The Minnesota PIPELINE (Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience) Project is an innovative approach to address current and future workforce needs. It serves as a catalyst for developing industry-based, employer-driven, dual-training programs throughout the state.

The project targets four high-growth industry sectors with limited experience with Minnesota’s apprenticeship system: advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care services, and information technology.

By leveraging Minnesota’s success in registered apprenticeship and focusing on the targeted industries, the PIPELINE Project is helping employers change the question from “How do we find workers with the skills we need?” to “How do we give workers the skills we need?”

Dual training, like apprenticeship, is an earn-as-you-learn approach where employers invest in employees by building a training infrastructure, developing career pathways and investing in the employee’s education.