Feds Help Minnesota Green Jobs

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota State Energy Sector Partnership, a jobs program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, awarded 14 grants totaling $1.1 million to train Minnesotans in green jobs.
 
Cyndi Lesher, co-chair of the MSESP, says the grants will strengthen Minnesota’s energy-sector economy by building industry training and talent development partnerships to meet industry needs within the state.
 
Among the awards is a $100,000 grant for the Anoka County Job Training Center, which in partnership with Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. of Minneapolis, will train sustainable construction-related crafts to displaced workers, and high school and college students.
 
The Anoka-Ramsey Community College of Cambridge and Coon Rapids received $100,000 in MSESP grant monies to train and certify bio-fuel production technicians through a collaboration with SarTec Corp. and Ever Cat Fuels, LLC, both of Anoka, and other organizations.
 
Other award recipients include City Academy High School and Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services, both of St. Paul, which each received $100,000 to certify individuals with green construction certifications through the National Center for Construction Education, and provide them on-the-job training at sustainable construction sites.
 
Fond Du Lac Tribal & Community College of Cloquet, received $100,000 to provide building performance training and Building Performance Institute certifications in partnership with Common Grounds Construction, LLC of Duluth.