By Ilhan Raage
Editor-in-Chief
A grant-signing ceremony took place at Crenloís Valleyhigh Drive plant in Rochester on Jan. 16, where RCTCís Center for Business and Workforce Education, in collaboration with Crenlo Manufacturing, was awarded a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant totaling $49,485.
Currently, Rochester and Southeastern Minnesota are facing workforce challenges due to rapid growth in the regionís manufacturing sector, significant wage competition, and low unemployment rates.
Crenlo has been in business for nearly 70 years and is a leading manufacturer of operator abs, roll over protective structures (ROPS), server cabinet enclosures, and consoles engineered to protect sensitive electronic equipment.
Businesses like Crenlo are thinking differently about their hiring and training practices and are increasing investments in their current employees. The goal is to develop job advancement opportunities for those already employed by the company.
ìThis is a great time to invest in growing our workforce,î said Brent Brock, Crenloís Director of Human Resources. ìWe want to provide advancement opportunities for our incumbent workforce, and one of the largest growth areas to do this in, is within our welding department.
MJSP allocates grants to educational institutions that are working to expand employment opportunities in growth sectors within Minnesotaís economy to keep high-quality jobs in the state. These grants are distributed through the custom training departments at the colleges, which requires training to be developed specific to the partnering businessí needs.
ìThe MJSP grant allows us to partner with Crenlo to create a workforce pipeline,î said Jennifer Wilson, RCTCís director for Business and Workforce Education, Jennifer Wilson.
The grant comes at a time when employers like Crenlo are looking at alternative ways to focus on employee retention.
ìThis grant will allow us to develop curriculum for an on-the-job training program both for individuals looking for job advancement and for current incumbent welders to attain advanced welding skills specific to the needs of Crenloís production line,î Wilson said.
By creating a pipeline where individuals have access to advanced training, there is added incentive for individuals to become employed and stay employed at that organization.