RMCEP News

Dan Wenner has spent more than three decades working for the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (RMCEP). But before that, the retiring executive director was a client. Wenner turned to RMCEP when he needed some assistance to find work. This experience of getting help when he really needed it — and the way services were delivered — made an impression on him. “I gained a high regard for the organization because of the way staff treated people — with respect,” Wenner says. When a job opportunity later opened up at RMCEP, he decided to pursue it. Wenner started his 32-year career at RMCE...

Our state will be short 239,000 workers by 2022, according to the Minnesota Chamber’s “Minnesota Business Benchmarks” report. There’s no simple way to address this workforce challenge. But with some guidance and training, recent immigrants will be able to help fill the labor gap. For several years, the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (RMCEP) has been encouraging immigrants to work toward self-sufficiency through its New Americans program. Now RMCEP and its partners received a $550,000 competitive grant to augment these services and reduce employment barriers for New Americans with workforce training. The Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) program grant runs until July 202...