Friends and neighbors –

Some exciting news for a great local employer: MRG Tool & Die in Faribault is set to receive a $49,526 economic development grant from Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development to partner with Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) in Coon Rapids. The grant will enable MRG to provide specialized training to 75 workers on operating new high-tech equipment.

Thanks to this grant, MRG Tool & Die and ARCC will be able to collaborate on providing cutting-edge skills training to its talented workers. Partnerships like these are crucial for opening up new advancement opportunities for employees, supporting our local employers, and boosting the economy, and I am proud that DEED views MRG as a company that is worth investing in.

The grant was part of an announcement by DEED of 11 workforce development grants totaling over $1.4 million awarded to six Minnesota educational institutions partnering with local businesses. The grants allow the partners to develop and deliver customized workforce training programs tailored to the employers’ specific needs.

Since 2019, DEED’s Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership program has provided over $29 million in grants to train more than 30,500 workers across the state, leveraging $62.7 million in additional private funding. The next application deadline is January 22, 2024.

— John