Dakota County Technical College and Uponor have been awarded a grant from the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership that will provide leadership and fire safety engineering training to Uponor employees in Apple Valley.
The training is designed to help the company compete globally, respond to the needs of a diverse workforce, and prepare for the growth of a new fire suppression product line. Uponor will contribute $517,000 to fund the training, and the MJSP grant adds an additional $299,000 to the collaboration.
During the two-year training project, DCTC will be providing entry-level and advanced training and retraining to 425 employees at the DCTC Apple Valley site in courses such as integrated management systems; train the trainer, critical thinking and problem solving skills; multicultural leadership skills; ISO/quality systems training; maintenance theory and skills; and fire safety engineering.
Uponor employees will use a new virtual classroom for Web-based and video training accessed through the company’s intranet. Additionally, the grant will be used to develop a nine-credit fire safety engineering certificate program for 12 Uponor employees.
“As a result of this training, product quality and production is expected to increase and employees will develop the skills they need to advance in Uponor,” said DEED Commissioner and MJSP Board Chair Dan McElroy. “DCTC also benefits from offering a new fire safety engineering program that is not available in Minnesota.”
At ceremony held at Uponor on Feb. 5 to celebrate the grant and partnership, Uponor North America’s Executive Vice President Anders Tollsten commented on the importance providing this type of training for Uponor employees.
“Uponor is committed not only to the current and future development of the company, but also to the development of our employees,” said Tollsten. “Education is a lifelong process, and this grant will allow our employees to continue that process.”
Also in attendance was Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland, who commended Uponor for its investment in Minnesota and its employees.
“In this economic environment, it isn’t easy to make this kind of investment. Uponor should be very proud of this work,” said Hamann-Roland.
For more information on the grant, please contact DCTC Associate Dean of Business & Management Christine Pigsley at 651-423-8600 or christine.pigsley@dctc.edu.
