ST. PAUL, MN – Today, the Minnesota Senate passed Higher Education and Workforce Development legislation to help alleviate worker shortages, prepare students for worthwhile careers, and improve safety at Minnesota colleges and universities.
“Our goals this year are simple and straightforward,” Senate Higher Education Chairman Senator David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) said. “We want to address critical workforce shortages in our state by helping support our students, so they are prepared to meet today’s workforce needs. Our bill is especially focused on getting more trained and qualified Law Enforcement Officers on the streets so we can combat the rise in violent crime. Every Minnesota student should have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to prepare them for good-paying jobs in the modern economy.”
“Minnesota thrives when it has an educated workforce that has the skills to meet the demands of a modern economy,” Senator Jason Rarick (R-Pine City), Vice-Chair of the Senate’s Higher Education Committee, said. “Whether it is a 4-year or 2-year degree or technical program, we need to ensure that we put our future workforce in a position where they can thrive in high in-demand jobs that offer rewarding careers.”
“Our legislation also focuses on solving Minnesota’s ongoing police officer shortage,” Sen. Rarick continued. “We need to keep our communities safe, and the best way we can do that is by recruiting and training qualified officers. Our legislation advances several initiatives that recruit new candidates and get them the skills and training to go back and serve their communities.”
Keeping Minnesotans Safe
The bill makes a strong commitment to recruit more law enforcement officers to keep Minnesotans safe. The bill establishes a grant program for students pursuing law enforcement careers with an annual grant of $3,000. Eligible students must be enrolled in a law enforcement program and there is a limit to how much an individual can receive.
Across the nation, law enforcement positions are opening up faster than they can be replaced by retirement or resignation. The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board Job page shows a remarkable number of openings for licensed peace officers across the state. Minneapolis and St. Paul alone have hundreds of open law enforcement positions to fill and the Chief of Police in Duluth called the shortage a crisis.
The bill also includes funding to improve public safety at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Surging crime at the University of Minnesota is reaching new highs and is causing many parents and students to ask for more security on campus. The legislation will work to help every Minnesota student feel safe on their college campus.
Getting Students Ready for Careers
The legislation establishes a skills path program to provide secondary students with a pathway from high school to careers in skilled work and trades. The Office of Higher Education will award grants of up to $50,000, to up to ten secondary schools annually for the skills path program. This funding will help students learn the skills they need for worthwhile careers in good-paying jobs and addresses workforce shortage needs.
Tomassoni’s bill also invests heavily in Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ workforce development scholarship program. These scholarships help students pursuing careers in high-demand sectors afford college.
The Higher Education bill also works to reduce the state achievement gap by providing more teaching opportunities for students from underrepresented populations. Addressing Minnesota’s large achievement gap is important to ensure every Minnesota student has the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for a good-paying job in the future.