BSU to Receive $750,000 DEED Grant for Manufacturing Job Training

Gov. Tim Walz has announced that Bemidji State University and the MN State Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence will receive $750,000 in federal grant funding from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to provide training for high-demand manufacturing jobs.

The grant is part of an effort to grow Minnesota’s workforce through the Drive for 5 workforce initiative, a new effort to prepare more Minnesotans for high-demand jobs in five different categories: technology, the trades, caring professions, manufacturing, and education. BSU, along with several other schools and programs, will train and place an estimated 1,200 Minnesota over the next 15 months in high-demand jobs, benefiting an estimated 3,000 Minnesota businesses.

The state is investing nearly $20 million in total for the Drive for 5 program, in the hopes of addressing the ongoing tight labor market and achieving a more equitable economy.