Narrative: III. a. 2. H.

The Minnesota PIPELINE (Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience) Project was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2014 to expand dual–training in Minnesota. In 2015, additional legislation was passed to create a grant program to help employers develop dual–training programs. Dual training is work–based career development training. Registered apprenticeship is a nationally recognized and state–approved type of dual–training overseen by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Dual–training has three components: employment in a dual–training occupation; structured on–the–job training of occupation–specific competencies; and related instruction in industry–sector technical competencies.

The development of industry–recognized competency standards is a core component of the PIPELINE Project. The Legislature required DLI to develop competency standards in the following four industries: advanced manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare services, and information technology. DLI assists groups of industry–technical experts to develop occupational competency standards for the PIPELINE Industry Council identified occupations. Competency Councils review and validate the foundational competencies for each occupation including personal effectiveness, academic, workplace and industry–wide competencies using modified versions of the U.S. DOL occupational competency pyramids. Using their technical expertise, the members of the competency council identify Industry Sector Technical Competencies for each occupation. These competencies are typically those that will be provided during the related instruction component of dual–training. Competency council members identify the occupation–specific competencies for each occupation. These competencies are typically gained during the on–the–job training component of dual–training. A critical component in the development of industry–valued competency standards is to acknowledge that each individual employer will also provide employer–specific training to its employees. Each of the PIPELINE occupational competency standards templates (above, right) includes space for individual employers to reflect their own training needs as part of a broader industry–based dual–training program. All of the competencies developed by the competency councils are validated and used to develop baseline occupational competency standards templates.

More than 350 industry leaders are engaged in the PIPELINE Project at this time. Occupational competency standards are developed and validated for 17 occupations, including at least three occupations for each industry. Industry Councils have identified an additional 11 occupations for the development of competency standards. Competency Councils will begin this work in March 2016. More than 40 employers, including 15 dual–training grantees, are receiving technical assistance in the creation of new dual–training programs and registered apprenticeship programs. DLI has created a dual–training tool–kit available on its website at www.dli.mn.gov/pipeline.asp. Each industry council has begun the development of an outreach, exposure and awareness plan to promote dual–training to workers and students. Fifteen employers have been awarded dual–training grants totaling $490,550 that serves 126 dual–trainees.

In early program year of 2015, Minnesota received $5.75 million to support dislocated workers through the job–driven national dislocated worker grant program. A component of this grant is to award academic credit and –in many cases – credentials for completion of on–the–job, work–based, and apprenticeship training. DEED also received a $5–million grant to serve 814 apprentices. This funding serves as seed money. The employers bear the primary costs of training and salaries for apprentices. Further, Minnesota is looking for ways to award academic credit for the completion of steps of apprenticeship. Minnesota’s policy of "WIOA certifying" only those training programs that result directly in an industry–recognized credential narrows the scope of training programs and ensures that participants receive training valued by employers.

Non–profits and community–based organizations that partner with DEED to support job seekers continue to design short–term credentialed training opportunities. Because training is less time intense, more job seekers are likely to complete the training. These workforce system partners have worked diligently with industry credentialing groups and academic institutions to ensure their shorter–term training results in portable, transferable, recognized credentials.