Greater Bemidji CI Report – Interim

What has been most instrumental to your progress?

Employers: At the center of our work is employers. We routinely work with approximately 25 companies. As the MI2 Council we meet 3-4 times per year. We use that time to discuss workforce challenges; share new approaches; highlight what a company is doing; and, ask for direction to prioritize issues needing the most attention. We also meet with companies individually to discuss their unique workforce issues. In 2018 we worked very closely with Wells Technology, Marvin Windows and Doors, American Crystal Sugar, Norbord Minnesota and Nortech Systems. Based on those discussions and planning sessions we identified several common workforce trends. The first, recruitment for all types of positions is difficult due to scarcity of labor. The second, skilled labor, particularly in the electrical area, is hard to find and to grow. The third, resources (education and employment services) are not aligned with today’s workforce needs. They are not adapting the way employers have had to adapt…which has left employers no choice but to try to figure things out on their own. Communicating these needs to workforce partners and influencing them to change their work practices is at the h

Education: We are working very closely with Wells Technology and the Wells Academy. Although low income is common in our region, our Native American population experiences chronic poverty and barriers to employment. MI2 has partnered with the Wells family to open a doorway. MI2 provides training and Wells Technology provides jobs. The gray area between is a mix of support services, coaching and problem solving to surround individuals with resources and stability. We’re working together to provide an environment that supports and understands traditional, Native American values, while building a path for a good life.

MI2 is also working closely with high schools. In 2018 the Bemidji High School hired a new Principal with responsibility to grow Career Academies. MI2 with its Mechatronics program was one of the first Career Academies. Today there are 12 and another 8 are on the horizon. The goal is to give high school students an opportunity to explore a career area; learn about employer expectations; and, provide a work experience for them to see what work is like in that industry.

This work is important because it grows our labor pool and provides opportunity.

Employment Services: A Workforce Summit was convened in October 2018 where employers set the agenda, presented and interacted with education and employment service organizations. Pete Aube, former General Manager of PotlatchDeltic presented on What Role Do Employers Play in Workforce Development?. Andy Wells, Sr. from Wells Corporate Academy, the educational arm of Wells Technology, presented on Making a Difference: We All Have Value. Peggy Anderholm of Marvin Companies presented on Thinking Differently: An Employer’s Perspective on Workforce Development and How it has Changed.

The event was well attended with a diverse audience. We asked the audience three questions for each workforce segment: Education, Employment Services and Employers. What should each segment continue to do? What should we start doing? What should we stop doing? Overarching themes were feel urgency, engage, think differently, collaborate, take risks, stop claiming turf, stop caring WHO is providing the solutions and be more flexible.

We shared the results with the group; and, are using the comments to help inform workforce partners on ways to collaborate with employers for workforce devel

Key lessons learned

We knew, but this year validated, this work is highly political and requires partnership with organizations that are entrenched with bureaucracy. Shifting those organizations to new perspectives, processes and practices will take time and legislation to change.

Workforce organizations are struggling to be effective, adequately funded and appropriately focused. Politics make it possible to ignore employer voices, innovation and to fight change. In an article in the March 3, 2019 Star Tribune entitled Minnesota State Seeks Outside Ideas for Innovation, Jim Foster describes what we are experiencing in our region, not only with Minnesota State but also with some workforce development partners.

Our region is 1 of 3 in the nation to still be operated under a Concentrated Employment Program. As such, a plethora of political issues surround counties who want to provide employment services locally. Rural MN CEP serves 19 counties of which Beltrami is the largest. Beltrami County cannot have a local CareerForce Center with onsite DEED services because RMNCEP has the ability to just say no. It is not in their organizational interest long term and financially to allow this region to function like the rest of the state.

Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving

Resourceful: We have spent a good part of this year “weaving” resources to help existing programs and to build the availability of skilled workers. Simultaneously, we are learning about our partnership’s capacity and barriers as a system. With employers we have a Pipeline Program to help upskill current employees; support employee retention; and, build career opportunities. With educators we have collaborated to implement a Youth at Work program. This provides skills, wages, and work experience to youth ages 14 to 24. We have helped a number of students who dropped out or did not graduate but need skills to secure a livable wage job. Many are Native American youth with an unstable family structure.

A Pathways to Prosperity project lets us work more closely with Beltrami County and students who may be struggling to complete programs at Northwest Technical College. These funds have supplemented county support services; provided additional training opportunities; augmented staff for career counseling; and, provided opportunities to interact with people already employed in their field of interest.

All of these projects have enabled us to problem solve how to help an i

Other key elements of Community Innovation

System Development: The process of creating or altering systems, along with the processes, practices, models, and methodologies used to develop them. Our project is attempting to use employer influence to alter workforce development systems in our region. While most would describe our work as meetings to improve our working relationships and service to individuals, the reality is we are building new processes, practices and methods that are collaborative. MI2 is looking at the big picture to identify opportunities to improve our system long term.

Our RADDE (Relationship–Assess–Design/Develop–Deliver–Evaluate) model is how we describe System Development progress. RADDE helps us identify where in our system is an issue; and, potential ways to address the issue. For example, misperceptions about industries, working conditions and career opportunities is an issue for us. We see the impact of misperceptions in our partner relationships (Relationship); and, it trickles through to fewer people seeking (Assess), having skills (Develop) and securing jobs (Evaluate/Outcome) in some of our key industries. How do we fix it? We work on more activity and cleaner hand offs in those

Understanding the problem

A grassroots approach is still our best avenue to affect local change quickly. MI2 with the support of employers is pushing education and employment service organizations to reconsider what they are doing and how they providing services. High schools seem to have more flexibility and a stronger desire to ensure their graduates have a career plan. MI2’s partnership with them is helping those graduates also have a work experience and/or permanent job. While we started with a focus on manufacturing, we’ve expanded and are now working with Career Academies in 12 different industries including light and sound, healthcare, robotics and many others.

We are seeing much more collaboration between employers and high schools with many new opportunities being developed. Employers in the light and sound area are providing internship opportunities to students. They are helping set up and run concerts at the Sanford Center. Summer jobs are being secured by both graduating high school students and adults wanting to enter into the manufacturing or construction trades fields. Now, a new employer is coming to the area and talking to MI2 and our partners about how we can work together to

If you could do it all over again…

Be ready for organizations to say no to change. They may be preserving their organization’s survival over putting workforce development customers (employers and individuals) first. They may also realize no one outside of the community truly understands not only what is needed but why our population struggles with employment. This would be important to know because it exposes the root elements needed for lasting systemic change. We have to be aware of and influence workforce development funding and legislation. Collaboration at the regional level will meet short term needs more effectively; but a community innovation in workforce development requires more.

One last thought

Workforce development is a multi-layered issue where funding often dictates who is and who is not served; and, what can be provided. Jobs are an end goal rather than a driving consideration. Some funding programs focus on age, while others on income. Most recently there’s eligibility criteria for math and reading levels. It is difficult to bring a region together when state programs aren’t in agreement. No matter what solutions are put in place, sustainability is dependent on securing those dollars.