RMCEP News

As meat processing plants throughout the nation closed or curtailed production during the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers and suppliers turned to smaller, local processors as outlets for their animals. But after decades of being pushed out by the big processors, there simply were not enough to meet the demand. Officials i...Continue Reading

Today's job reports indicate low unemployment rates that contrast with struggles of employers’ ability to find quality workers. Perhaps one answer comes from a 2021 poll that showed barely half of those surveyed believed their job was meaningful. Individuals are being more selective, seeking that career to support their financia...Continue Reading

A shortage of truck drivers has surfaced amidst national supply chain issues in recent years. The American Trucking Association estimated a shortage of 80,000 truck drivers in the United States at the end of 2021. Jamie Holm of Little Falls, MN, recently experienced what that means for those seeking employmen...Continue Reading

RMCEP recently represented the state’s rural areas on the State of Minnesota Performance Negotiation team to negotiate performance standards with the US Department of Labor for the upcoming two years for the WIOA programs.  Those programs are WIOA Adult, WIOA Dislocated Worker, WIOA Youth and Wagner-Peyser.  It is always a...Continue Reading

Career transition can be a stressful experience for anyone. The task can be incredibly intimidating for individuals in their 60s. When Douglas Mason was laid off at that age, he knew he wanted to keep working but was unsure how to start the process of finding a new job. H...Continue Reading

The State of Minnesota has expanded a new mobile application, called Workforce One Connect, that provides customers of employment and economic support programs with quick and easy access to their counselors and caseworkers using a smartphone or tablet. Using the app, customers can sign in securely and directly message thei...Continue Reading

The story is consistent across the country: jobseekers are seeking better careers and employers need more qualified workers. Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (CEP) has been making that link between employer and jobseeker across a nineteen county area in North Central and West Central Minnesota since 1968. Today, Rural Minnesota CE...Continue Reading

Workforce shortages and the challenges racial inequalities pose to the state economy have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporters of HF4134 believe Minnesota workforce development boards can create solutions tailored to local communities that will allow as strong a recovery as possible. Rep. Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls) sponsors the bill, which calls for ...Continue Reading

This month’s jobs report for Minnesota brought some good news: the state’s labor force participation rate was up, to 67.6 percent in January, according to the latest update from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment is down, too, to the lowest it’s been in a very long time, at 2.9 percent. Bu...Continue Reading

Sometimes, people get lucky and find a job that is simply the perfect fit for them. Sometimes, people find a mentor that is a great match — someone who understands them and leads them down a path toward success. And sometimes, both of those things happen, right here in Fergu...Continue Reading

IWCO Direct ceased operations as planned at its Little Falls facility on January 1, 2022, with a resulting layoff of 291 employees. After the first round of layoffs totaling 137 employees on November 1, 149 employees were laid off at the end of December and the remaining five employees wer...Continue Reading

Local Elected Officials and Local Workforce Development Boards within each Regional Workforce Development Area must participate in a planning process to address the following: Continue Reading