Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) Program

MJSP Projects Funded - June 9, 2003

Educational Institution	Contributing Business(es)	Amount	Program
Dakota County TC	K-Mart Corporation	$279,813	Partnership
This project is designed to help K-Mart implement a new warehouse management system for the distribution facility in Shakopee which serves their retail stores in the mid-west region. K-Mart recently emerged from bankruptcy and must modernize its obsolete product distribution process in order to remain competitive in the retail industry. The project will provide both entry level and advanced level training to 306 employees at the Shakopee facility. Wages range from $14.45/hr for clerical to $33.65/hr for management professionals.
St. Paul Technical College	UV Color	$297,976	Partnership
UV Color employees more than 200 workers at their two facilities in Roseville. The company started business in1993 and specializes in utilizing new techniques for high volume printing on plastic surfaces using UV inks, coatings and curing processes. This project will provide training to all existing employees and approximately 50 new hires during the next two years. Training will focus on methods of information transfer and wireless communications in virtually all manufacturing operations from the shop floor to technical engineering and design. Wage rates range from $8.50/hr for entry level to more than $100.00/hr for certain executives.
Minnesota Resource Center (MRC)	Park Nicollet Health Services, North Memorial Health Care, American Red Cross, others	$184,603	Partnership
MRC is a division of RESOURCE, Inc., which is a private non-profit organization that provides a variety of human service programs throughout the metropolitan area. MRC is accredited as a Special Function school and specializes in providing job training to people with disabilities and major employment barriers. This project is designed to provide preemployment and entry level employment training to approximately 100 individuals over a two year period on medical office support occupations. Like all MRC training programs, this one is based on needs that were identified by an advisory council that consists of more than 150 private businesses. In addition to job training in the classroom, participants will be able to experience on-the-job-training with local employers. Because MRC provides extensive employment and preemployment services, they usually achieve a job retention rate of 80% following completion of job training. Wages range from $10.00/hr for entry level to $15.30/hr for lab assistants.
Minnesota State College, - SE	Technical Federal-Mogul Powertrain Systems	$381,568	Partnership
Federal-Mogul Corp., headquarters in Southfield, Michigan operates a production facility in Lake City that produces pistons and cylinder linings for customers like John Deere, Cummins, and Caterpillar. They recently entered into a joint venture with a company in Japan to manufacture cylinder liners for the Toyota Corporation. This training project is designed to provide employees with knowledge and skills in the areas of CNC programming, troubleshooting, fundamental robotics and industrial automation. Employees will also receive training on various machine language codes, industrial automation and precision machining. The project will train 220 employees. The average wage in this occupation is $20.00/hr + benefits.
St. Cloud State University	Electrolux	$100,000	Partnership
The Electrolux manufacturing facility in St. Cloud produces refrigerators and freezer chests and employs 680 workers. In order to maintain its competitive position in the Electrolux Group, they need to update manufacturing processes with a better trained workforce that can produce high quality goods at lower costs. Absent this, there is a good possibility that the company may relocate this production facility to a plant in China. This project is designed to improve its workforce at all levels from basic manufacturing operations to senior management. The training will include elements on plant layout, quality production, ergonomics, automation, diversity and leadership. Wage rates range from $14.00/hr for production jobs to $31.00/hr for managers.
Minnesota State University, Mankato	Ingleside Assisted Living, Oak Hills Living Center, Heritage House, others	$155,575	Partnership
The business participants in this project are a group of six assisted living service providers in the Mankato area that employ 266 workers. Together, they hope to create an organized system of training standards and curricula to build skills and capacity in the assisted living workforce. There are very few, if any, state regulations specifying qualifications and training for assisted living workers. This project will enable the participating businesses to improve the skill levels of their employees to provide quality care to assisted living clients. The core curriculum will include basic healthcare skills as a starting point for a career pathway. Customized on-site training will also be developed for each participating business. The project is designed to initiate an organized system of training standards and curriculum for the assisted living industry. Wage rates range from $7.26 to $24.00/hr. for trainees.
South Central Technical College	Chart Industries, Inc.	$211,194	Partnership
Chart Industries is a global manufacturer of specialized equipment for low-temperature cryogenic applications. The company has plants located in 12 states and in 5 foreign countries. They are now in the process of an internal restructuring that may result in the relocation of 40 jobs to the New Prague plant. Cryogenics is a demanding discipline that requires skilled welding and metal technology. Chart now trains all their employees internally which takes about 18 months to complete. There are no schools in the southern part of the state that offer welding or metal work training. This project is designed to provide specialized welding, pressure piping, and metal work training to 190 Chart employees which will result in greater plant efficiencies and a likelihood of additional job growth at the New Prague facility. Wages range from $9.46/hr to $28.00/hr. Minnesota West Comm. & Tech.
College Prairie	Holdings Group, LLC	$190,000	Partnership
There are seven agricultural biotech companies located in southwestern Minnesota under control of Prairie Holdings Group that provide a variety of services and products for livestock management and agricultural clients. Technical training in biotechnology and agricultural science is generally not available anywhere in rural Minnesota. This project is designed to develop a “core” training program for the industry which will be available nation-wide and includes specific curricula in the field of biology, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, and related topics for entry and advanced level workers. The project will train 137 employees including 36 new hires which are to be created during the next three years. Wage rates range from $8.17/hr for production employees to $69.71/hr for management.
Alexandria Technical College	Douglas Machine	$217,377	Partnership
Douglas Machine manufactures equipment and hardware for customer-specific packaging needs on a worldwide basis. They serve customers throughout the United States and in more than 30 foreign countries. Douglas Machine is accelerating their plans to manufacture and market an expanded line of fast, modular, automated packaging machines. In order to keep pace with their manufacturing processes, they need to integrate automation technologies into new machine design and expand their customer service structure and communication systems. This project is designed to benefit supervisory and management staff directly and will give Douglas Machine a competitive advantage in terms of customer service and product design. Alexandria Technical College has established itself as the regional center for automation and motion control manufacturing processes. Wages range from $12.06/hr to $25.89/hr for administrative and professional staff.
Teamworks, Inc. (MMCDC)	Lou-Rich, Inc.	$150,000	Partnership
Teamworks, Inc. is a spin-off of the Midwest MN Community Development Corporation (MMCDC) which is located in western Minnesota. Lou-Rich, Inc. is a family owned contract manufacturer with facilities in South Dakota and Minnesota. They recently adopted a new manufacturing process called ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) which is intended to expedite production and lower their production costs. This project is designed to train new and existing employees on how and why Enterprise Resource Planning can improve the future operations of the company. Lou-Rich employees 280 workers. This project is designed primarily for machine operators, supervisors and technical workers. Wage rates range from $10.00/hr for machine operators to $29.70/hr for supervisors.
Teamworks, Inc. (MMCDC)	McNeilus Companies, Inc.	$235,000	Partnership
McNeilus is the world’s largest producer of concrete mixer and refuse hauling trucks. The company employs more than 1,100 workers in southern MN, and is owned by Oshkosh Truck Corp. which is located in Dodge Center, MN. They recently announced the development of a new concrete mixer drum made of a composite plastic which is more efficient and cost effective than the traditional steel drum they have used for many years. They plan to hire 80 new workers to manufacture the new drum in Dexter, which is near Dodge Center. This project will provide for the entry level training of those 80 new hires as well as advanced training for 200 existing employees at the Dodge Center facility. McNeilus has many minority and women workers that will benefit from this training. Wage rates range from $10.20/hr to $14.76/hr for production workers.
Northwest Technical College	New Flyer of America, Inc.	$199,000	Partnership
New Flyer of America is the largest manufacture of transit buses in North America. They operate production plants in St. Cloud and Crookston. The Crookston facility currently employs 227 workers and produces 16 finished buses per week. They propose to increase their workforce to 250 by the end of 2003 and increase their production of buses to 24 per week This training project will benefit all 250 employees and will focus on a “High Performance Manufacturing” model based on four essential elements of success common to all businesses: planning, leadership, systems, and operations. The project will also support the ability of Northwest Technical to deliver “High Performance Manufacturing” training techniques to other businesses in northwestern Minnesota. Wage rates range from $10.55/hr for production employees to $24.38/hr for manager/supervisors.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College	Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing (3M), Stillwater facility	$315,345	Partnership
3M is a $16 billion diversified technology company with operations in more than 60 counties and headquarters in St. Paul. Their facility in Stillwater provides design service and adhesive film production for the automotive industry. The company has constant need for training and retraining in order to assure high quality production and timely delivery. This project will train 280 production/printing/die-cutting/inspection and supervisors to help increase productivity, better understand products and their uses, and broaden employees perspective toward changes in management and company operations. The training will be totally customized to met 3M’s unique needs but can be adjusted and replicated for other businesses in the community. Wage rates range from $16.50/hr to $25.95/hr for workers receiving this training.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College	Synovis Interventional Solutions, Inc.	$310,000	Partnership
Synovis Solutions, Inc. is a research, design and manufacturing business that specializes in the medical device industry. The company is located in Lino Lakes and employees 342 workers. The medical device/biomedical industry is highly competitive and in constant change. Ongoing training is pretty much required in order to keep the staff current with new products and new production techniques. This project is designed to benefit all 342 employees including production, engineering, analytical and managerial. The project will result in the development of permanent training resources that will benefit the company in future years as they continue to grow. Wage rates range from $14.00/hr to $31.00/hr.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College	CIMA LABS, Inc.	$360,000	Partnership
CIMA LABS, Inc. is a contract packaging company in the business of pharmaceutical products. This is a highly regulated business and they are bound to compliance with a detailed set of FDA standard operating procedures. The company is in a growth mode, having hired 85 new workers last year, and planning on another 55 by the end of this year. Their primary training needs are in the areas of learning how to work with numerous operating standards, and a better understanding of products and their uses among all personnel. The project will benefit 394 workers in production, R&D and professional ranks. Wage rates range from $14.00/hr to $31.25/hr.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College	E & O Tool and Plastics, Inc.	$100,000	Partnership
E & O Tool is a custom plastic injection molding company, located in Elk River and employs 175 workers. The company has training needs in the areas of cost effectiveness and improved productivity in order to remain competitive in the current economy. This project will train E & O staff on the principals of manufacturing and safety in a lean environment and how to work in a cell team. This will be a computer based training kiosk that will be useful for both classroom work and independent study. Wage rates range from $12.00/hr to $25.00/hr.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College	OakRiver Technology	$242,126	Partnership
OakRiver Technology is a contract manufacturing company that specializes in medical devices and related electronic products. They are located in Oakdale and employ 120 production, engineering and professional workers. The company recently developed two internal training systems; Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Good Manufacturing Principles (GMP). This project is designed to help the company implement these new training systems and to provide employees with necessary skill-based training. ARCC has sponsored a number of training programs in the field of biomedical-technology. Wage rates range from $15.00/hr to $35.00/hr.
Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative	Parker Hannifin Corporation	$47,282	Short Form
Parker Hannifin Corp. is a world leader in the fluid power/hydraulics industry with several production plants in the U.S. and in Mexico. They are planning to restructure the Chanhassen plant and transfer a portion of a machining plant in Mexico back to Chanhassen. This will enable the company to hire 13 new machine operators, retrain 13 existing assemblers for machining operation, and possibly hire additional machine operators when the company begins to show a profit after the restructure. The project will train at least 34 workers. Wage rates range from $12.36/hr to $17.18/hr for trainees.
Teamworks, Inc.	Diamond Tool, Inc	$49,834	Short Form
Teamworks, Inc. is 501(c)(3) organization that supports economic development activities in northeastern Minnesota. They have been accredited through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Diamond Tool is located in Sebeka which is about 70 miles from Park Rapids. The company is a contract machine business that does precision machining to customer specifications. It is difficult to find precision machine operators in rural Minnesota that have the skill and training needed for employment. Diamond Tool wants to establish their own internal training program on topics such as geometric dimension/tolerance, inspection tools, CMM tooling and other technical skills. This project is designed to train 70 new and existing employees. Wage rates start at $11.00/hr for entry level machine operators.
Northland Community and Technical College	Machinewell, Inc.	$49,813	Short Form
Machinewell Inc. is precision contract manufacturing business in rural Marshall County. They do contract work for the Defense Dept. and a number of other businesses in northeastern Minnesota. The company is well known for their high quality work and competitive pricing. In addition to CNC machining and manual welding they developed several high tech robotic welding operations. They are also active in a national certification testing effort. This training project is intended to train 50 workers on the concept of lean manufacturing and automation/robotic manufacturing techniques. The project will also enable Northland to further develop its training capacity in the area of automation in the machine trade/manufacturing industry. Wage rates range from $11.45/hr to $17.03/hr for trainees.
Bemidji State University	American Garage Door Supply Company	$21,384	Short Form
American Garage Door Supply Company (AGD) is a small manufacturer and distributor of commercial garage door openers and related hardware for the carwash installations and other industrial overhead door applications. The company employs 21workers, most of whom have only learned the business through on-the-job work experience. This is AGD’s first formal training program for its employees. It will include courses on marketing, human resources, new product development and inventory management. Wage rates range from $10.00/hr to $18.00/hr for trainees.