RMCEP Awarded MSJP Grant for Mobile Welding Training

RMCEP was awarded a $99,000 grant from Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) to provide a mobile welding training lab

In partnership with MN State Community & Technical College (M State), RMCEP will provide a tailored welding training program to low-income unemployed, underemployed and incumbent workers that will focus on honing current skills or initiating a pathway into manufacturing careers.  In preparation for this project, RMCEP surveyed manufacturers in their service region who indicated a shortage of skilled welders and a need for blueprint reading skills.  Needed support services and work readiness assistance will be provided via other program funding sources and includes the National Career Readiness Certificate (NRCR), an industry-recognized evidence-based credential that certifies essential skills needed for workplace success (i.e., problem solving, reading and using work-related text, applying mathematical reasoning to work-related problems, setting up and performing work-related mathematical calculations).  Thirty participants will participate in the 160-hour Welding training which will be brought on location throughout the region (two sessions in Little Falls, one in Morris, one in Alexandria area) through a self-contained welding trailer.  Curriculum will include gas metal arc (MIG), shielded metal arc (Stick or SMAW), and tungsten inert gas (TIG) as well as oxyacetylene and plasma cutting and applied blueprint reading, which will prepare trainees for the American Welding Certification examination.

Contact:  Vicki Leaderbrand, Rural MN CEP, 218-846-7400