Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
[email protected], 651-385-6364
For Immediate Release
$400,000 Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership grant awarded to MSC Southeast to bring Mechatronics training to Red Wing
Red Wing, MN (November 5, 2020) -- Supported by a $400,000 Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership (MJSP) grant, Minnesota State College Southeast's Red Wing campus will collaborate with seven industry partners based in Red Wing, Lake City, and Cannon Falls to bring Mechatronics training to the area.
"The businesses involved in the grant are committed to participating in the design and development of the curriculum as well as enrolling their employees in the training," according to Katie Hardyman, Director of Business Relations at MSC Southeast.
The following manufacturing companies will partner with MSCS on this endeavor: Red Wing Shoe Company/S.B. Foot Tanning Company and 3M Fall Protection (Red Wing); Ardent Mills, Hearth and Home Technologies, Pepin Manufacturing, and Valley Craft (Lake City); and Gemini (Cannon Falls).
Mechatronics technicians work with industrial electricians, engineers, and technical support staff to ensure that production processes and equipment can be expanded and sustained in a wide range of industries. Companies in the Southeast region have struggled in the past to find qualified candidates to fill these technical roles, which limits their ability to satisfy demand and meet customer requirements.
Minnesota State College Southeast has already established a successful Mechatronics curriculum for college and workforce training at its campus in Winona. Obtaining the support of the MJSP grant and local industry makes it possible to expand the program to the Red Wing campus.
"Many of our technicians have been promoted from production departments and need advanced training, but we are quite a distance away from a training facility that can provide the skill and education needed. These locations are more than an hour away from Lake City," said Brian English, Member and Community Relations Manager of Hearth and Home Technologies, adding, "This distance makes it very difficult to train our staff while providing maintenance support to the production lines. With the Red Wing Campus developing a Mechatronics program, this will allow the maintenance staff great opportunities to obtain the needed training locally."
The curriculum will be delivered in a format that minimizes technician time away from work each week. Not only is the coursework designed with local businesses in mind, it will also create the basis for a new one-year technical program on the Red Wing campus.
"The strong relationship between Minnesota State College Southeast and our business partners in Red Wing, Lake City, and Cannon Falls will help provide the skilled workers they need, plus help the college add a much-needed advanced technology program that will continue to serve the area after the grant is complete," said Larry Lundblad, MSC Southeast Interim President.
Minnesota State College Southeast has successfully worked with Minnesota Job Skills Partnership over the past 30 years and has administered training grants in partnership with over 60 companies.
For more information, please contact Katie Hardyman, MSC Southeast Director of Business Relations, at [email protected] or 651-267-7706.
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About Minnesota State College Southeast
Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer, to meet the needs of students and the community. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and updating its name to Minnesota State College Southeast in 2016 with the change of mission to offer both technical training and the associate of arts degree. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of Minnesota State. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.