Closing skills gap is a business priority

Star Tribune Editorial

Minnesota’s May jobless rate stood at about 5.6 percent, according to state figures. Yet manufacturing employers report that they have unfilled positions because of a lack of qualified applicants.

What’s wrong with this picture? And what can be done to match more of the unemployed with those available jobs?

Two colleges in Dakota County recently announced a partnership that will help fill the jobs-skill gap. Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College agreed to provide customized, on-site training and continuing education for businesses.

The colleges will provide “rapid response” training that can occur at the college or at a business and can be arranged quickly depending on the complexity of the program. The innovative effort highlights the types of things that must be done throughout the state’s higher-education system for students, the unemployed and for future economic development.

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