Fargo Forum: “Employers tell Franken they're worried about filling region's demand for skilled workers.”
Right now, our nation is facing a "skills gap" that has left more than 3 million jobs unfilled because there aren't enough workers with the skills and training to fill them. Since joining the Senate, Sen. Franken has visited community and technical colleges all across the state to discuss his efforts to close that gap, including a bill he introduced to create partnerships between businesses and two-year colleges.
Earlier this week, he visited Moorhead to talk with employers and Minnesota State Community and Technical College to learn about their efforts to prepare students for high-skilled, open jobs. The Fargo Forum reported:
"The skills gap here in Minnesota does really glisten; I saw it very plain as day today in Moorhead," Franken said.
Tom Boyle, president of Moorhead-based D&M Industries, said employers are competing with each other for skilled workers.
He said a lot of workers they do find are those who just moved to the area.
The employers Franken spoke to agreed that technical education is a solution to their problem. Expanded job training programs can help close the skills gap and reduce the worker shortage, they said.
Sen. Franken ended his visit by announcing new federal grant support to help the Minnesota State University system expand job training programs.
To read the full story from the Fargo Forum, click here.
