Monticello Workforce Agency Awarded $254K to Train Displaced Workers for Ag Careers

(KNSI) – A Monticello-based workforce development organization has been awarded $254,000 to train displaced workers for careers in Minnesota’s agriculture industry.

Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc. is one of seven organizations statewide to receive funding through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Growing Careers initiative, which doled out $2.4 million in total grants.

The Monticello agency will use the funds to create the Cultivating Careers in Ag program. The initiative is designed to address shortages in farm jobs across an 11-county region in central Minnesota by connecting dislocated workers with high-demand careers that offer livable wages.

Organizations can use grant funds for on-the-job training, career navigation, worker support services, and paid work experience.

According to DEED, several farming-related careers are expected to grow over the next decade, including farm equipment mechanics and service technicians (up 14%), industrial truck and tractor drivers (up 5.8%), and supervisors of farming, fishing and forestry workers (up 4.5%).

The program is funded through a grant from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership.

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