Avid readers of the Local Look blog for Northwest Minnesota may be aware of the temporary ‘reassignment’ of one of the region’s biggest boosters – regional analyst Chet Bodin.

That’s because Bodin, a Civil Affairs NCO in the 34th ‘Red Bull’ Infantry Division, has been stationed at Camp Arifian, Kuwait since last fall. About 650 soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard are engaged in capacity-building in the Middle East as part of Operation Spartan Shield. The 34th ID is responsible for operations in approximately 10 countries.

Bodin is married to his wife, Amanda, who works at Ascensus in Brainerd, and they have a 2-year-old daughter, Celia. Amanda and Celia talk and video chat with Dad regularly during his deployment.

On May 1, Bodin was invited to speak with students and faculty at Kuwait University about labor market analysis and Minnesota’s approach to workforce development. Over 70 percent of Kuwaitis are under the age of 35, Bodin said, compared to less than 50 percent of Minnesotans.

“Labor shortages are not as acute in Kuwait as in most of the U.S. However, they face similar challenges in preparing youth for the workforce, and there is much less variety in the kinds of work opportunities available,” he said.

Here is a Q&A with Bodin edited for length:

How did the invitation to speak at Kuwait University reach you, and what were your impressions?

“The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, the Minnesota National Guard, and College of Business Administration at Kuwait University coordinated the presentation. The Embassy looks for ways to create bonds between Americans in Kuwait and Kuwait civilians, especially with the generation born after Operation Desert Storm who are less acquainted with our shared history.”

“National Guardsmen and women, who are primarily civilians, bring that experience and perspective to the mission and it comes through in our interactions. In particular, a core function of civil affairs soldiers is to support the civil administration of host nations upon request. We work closely with the Embassy on a variety of subjects, and the unique challenges to Kuwait’s labor market came up when discussing local economic development. Of course, I leapt at the opportunity to show off some of the homegrown data sets and online tools Minnesota uses in workforce planning and policy development.”

What were the most interesting or memorable questions you took from students and faculty? What did they want to discuss?

“Students were very attentive, and faculty members, many of whom obtained degrees in the U.S., were thoughtful and welcoming. They asked very good questions about our immigrant workforce, gender pay differences and education system. They also marveled at the impressive level of public-private collaboration in Minnesota that it takes to produce data sets like the Job Vacancy Survey and Occupational Employment Statistics.”

Do you reach out to your colleagues at the LMI office about your work here?

“Yes, we have lots of ways to communicate, although the time difference makes it challenging. My colleagues send regular updates about all the happenings back home. I'm looking forward to returning home to Brainerd, especially with summer right around the corner!”

Photo: Chet Bodin, LMI regional analyst (left) and Dr. Hani Al-Sarraf, Kuwait University, College of Business Administration.