RMCEP News

Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held at 2.8 percent in November for the third month in a row. The state’s unemployment rate remains the lowest since May 1999 and three tenths of a point above the all-time low of 2.5 percent (January and February, 1999).  October’s gain of 3,400 jobs was reduced to 2,500 after revision. Read full article. 

Economic development organizations face hard choices. To encourage investment and job growth, they must make certain decisions. They cannot be all things to all people. To a large degree, an EDO must bet on certain aspects of a community to be effective.  Site selection is a changing landscape, staying on top of the current trends and features is important for your local economic development.  Knowing how to tell the story to match the changing trends is even more important. in this webinar, Aaron Brossoit, CEO of Golden Shovel, explained about the changes in site selection and how an EDO can stay on...

Minnesota’s high school graduation rates have risen to nearly 83 percent, an all-time high. But looking closer at the data reveals that some groups, such as students from low income families, students of color and those experiencing homelessness have significantly lower rates of success. Youthbuild in Moorhead aims to proactively address the needs of youth who have dropped out or are at risk of not finishing school. The unique job training program gives young adults experience in the building trades and helps them develop basic skills to help them succeed later in life. The main goal is to enable young adults to...

November 27 is Giving Tuesday, a day where people throughout our community, and the world, donate to the causes they are passionate about. This is a global day of giving. Unlike shopping holidays like Black Friday that focus on consumerism, this day is all about giving back to the community. Giving Tuesday encourages us to look beyond the busyness of the holiday season and to consider those in our community who may need our help and support, along with the charities that are bridging the gap for those in need. Reasons to Support Local Nonprofits Nonprofits are an important part of our local...

In our diverse economy, there are many ways to achieve workforce success, and they don’t all follow the same straight or orderly path. Employers in Northwest Minnesota now provide over 221,000 jobs and the state has over 3 million jobs, so it can be hard to know which one might be right for you. Assessments and career exploration are a great way to help students and jobseekers make the best possible choices. What things do you like to do? What’s your personality style? What skills and abilities do you have? There are a variety of free career assessments available online at...

Determining industry clusters in a regional economy has been an important tool of regional planners and policymakers for decades. Regional industry clusters show communities the nuance of their economies, identify trends, and may suggest how communities can adapt to them. In particular, the Blakely and Green-Leigh quadrant method clusters industry sectors by how well they withstand economic fluctuation. This method is unique in that it offers a matrix of sustainability, categorizing regional industries by their response to economic change over time. With this method regional industries are grouped into four quadrants - transforming, growing, emerging, and declining - based on both...

Adjustment for inflation will raise wages by 17 to 21 cents an hour. Minnesota’s minimum-wage workers will get a raise starting Jan. 1, state officials announced. An adjustment for inflation will raise the statewide minimum wage from $9.65 to $9.86 an hour for workers at companies with annual gross revenue of $500,000 or more. Employees at smaller companies will see the minimum wage go from $7.87 to $8.04 an hour. The youth wage rate — for those younger than 18 — also will go up to $8.04 an hour, as will the training wage that may be paid to employees under age 20...

Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (RMCEP) is proud to celebrate 50 Years of making employment dreams a reality.  RMCEP has adapted and evolved with the changing economic landscape. We have seen many changes in the programs that fund our services over our forty years of existence but have consistently provided a high level of quality services. We set our goals high and look to the future with anticipation of developing additional services to meet the ever changing needs of our workforce. We truly believe that work is key to a successful life and are ready to help make employment dreams a...

As more baby boomers retire, a workforce crisis is looming, particularly in rural areas of the country. In a recent survey, 48 percent of Minnesota manufacturers said that attracting and retaining skilled workers is one their primary challenges. The Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (RMCEP) is aiming to help businesses solve this problem. The nonprofit recently hired Amy Sjoblad as a Rural Career Counseling Coordination (RC3) Business Specialist to help solve this problem. This new position will serve as an important bridge between businesses, workforce centers and educational institutions. RC3 was made possible by a legislative appropriation. Sjoblad’s position is part of...

Rural concentrated concentrated employment Minnesota program, inc. CEP 803 Roosevelt Avenue • P.O. Box 1108 • Detroit Lakes, Minnesota 56502-1108 (218) 846-7400 • www.rmcep.com www.facebook.com/RMCEP Memorandum To: Distribution Date: September 24, 2018 From: Vicki Leaderbrand Position Number: 18-10 (Extended) Re: Position Vacancy Regular Full-Time Position Position: Job Counselor/Resource Room Consultant Location: Little Falls WorkForce Center Hiring Authority: Sue Hilgart Program Manager Address: Rural Minnesota CEP, Inc. 609 13th Avenue NE, Suite G Little Falls, MN 56345 (320) 232-2000 (320) 616-2424 FAX Filing Deadline: October 8, 2018 Salary: Entry Level Grade 9 $17.34/hour to $20.04/hour Primary Objectives of Position: Promotes and facilitates the use of the Resource Room technical and informational resources for WorkForce Center customers. Provides information about careers, job openings,...