Narrative: b. 2. H.

Postsecondary: Minnesota has long focused on developing and sustaining programs that prepare individuals for high–skill, high–wage jobs including:

• Using Perkins Leadership Funds to promote the development of new programs in colleges, either on their own or collaboratively, in high–skill, high–wage, or high–demand occupations.
• Competition among colleges for Perkins Program Development Grants, which are meant to stimulate the development of new academic programs by colleges. Proposals must address one or more of the following:

1. Programmatic career pathways
2. Technical skill attainment assessment processes
3. Preparation for non–traditional fields
4. Support for programs for special populations
5. Support for programs that link high schools to colleges
6. Evidence of high–wage and high–skill or high–demand occupations

These projects are especially encouraged –– but not required –– to include:

1. Employer engagement to provide experiential learning
2. Existing STEM–related coursework
3. Support of initiatives to facilitate transition from sub–baccalaureate to baccalaureate programs
4. Industry, community, K–12 or other partners
5. Leveraged funds

Labor Market Analysis is partially provided by the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development. The tasks include:

• Link employment and labor demand information to existing postsecondary engagement, attainment and transition data.
• Produce information, reports and documents on current and projected employment levels, wage rates for individual colleges and universities within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and other labor market trends that will inform the development, maintenance, and changes to academic programming.
• Provide statewide and regional labor market analyses for technical skill assessment projects and for the development of programs of study and adult career pathways. Provide the critical link to the research and statistical information unit in the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), allowing both agencies to share data electronically and use those data in specific projects within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and DEED.

In addition, the System Office of MnSCU supports the Real Time Talent project, a collaboration among higher education, private sector, government and non–profit organizations, which provides access to real–time job posting data through Wanted Analytics. This web–based research tool pulls data from hundreds of online job posting sites, analyzes, and presents up–to–date information in a subscription services. The use of this data helps job seekers and also institutions in planning strategies to meet workforce development needs.

Secondary:

• Using the Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) to provide information for schools, students and their parents on employment trends and opportunities and educational programs that will help students prepare for, and enter, these occupations. Most Minnesota school districts subscribe to MCIS which gives students and parents access to the system from home via the Internet, though much of the data is also provided by MCIS to ISEEK which is freely available to all Minnesota citizens.