Committed to strengthening the knowledge, skills and diversity of Minnesota’s economic development professionals, the nonprofit Minnesota Economic Development Foundation is promoting upcoming training opportunities and offering scholarships for professional development.

The Minnesota Economic Development Foundation sponsors the “Upper Midwest Basic Economic Development Course,” a 5-day course that provides comprehensive training in the basic concepts, methods, and strategies of local economic development. This course is accredited by the International Economic Development Council and fulfills a requirement for taking the Certified Economic Development exam.

The Foundation will provide a $250 scholarship to all Minnesota economic development practitioners, bringing the cost of this training opportunity down to $250. The course will be virtual in 2021. It is limited to 50 participants, and typically fills quickly. The website provides more information and a registration link. That registration page includes a link to the scholarship application.

What’s more, the Foundation provides 50% scholarships to all International Economic Development Council Professional Development Courses. This includes the 14 two- and three-day Core and Elective Courses needed to sit for the Certified Economic Developer exam and the Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development certification.

Courses cover a variety of topics including business retention and expansion, strategic planning, real estate development and reuse, economic development finance, credit analysis, workforce development strategies, neighborhood development strategies, entrepreneurship, and more.

Scholarship recipients can take one or more courses and do not need to be pursuing certification. They will receive the IEDC member rate and early bird discount – which brings the cost for the two-day courses to $252.50; the cost for the three-day courses in 2021 will be $307.50. All IEDC courses will be virtual in 2021, eliminating the need for travel-related expenses.

Start here to get information and to obtain a link to a unique MN Economic Development Foundation discount code. Then go to the IEDC website to register using the discount code.