SCSU Awarded $135,000 Grant To Train Park Industries Workers

(KNSI) – St. Cloud State University has landed a $135,000 state grant to run a two-year training program for workers at Park Industries, one of the city’s largest manufacturers.

The money comes from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, a Department of Employment and Economic Development program that funds training projects designed by the employers themselves. Park Industries is matching the award with $262,737 of its own money, bringing the total investment to $397,737.

The training will be delivered through SCSU’s Professional and Continuing Education division, known as PACE, and will reach 217 Park Industries employees. Course work is set to cover technical skills, leadership development, digital skills and customer-facing roles.

The university says the program is aimed at problems familiar to almost every manufacturer in Central Minnesota: skills gaps on the shop floor, a thin bench of employees ready to move into supervisor roles, the shift toward more digital production, and the challenge of keeping workers in a tight labor market.

It is the third Job Skills Partnership grant St. Cloud State has secured in 2026.

More information on the PACE division is available by clicking here.

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