Training programs are a critical tool to our state's economic success as we continue to see record low unemployment and high job vacancies. Employer panel members on our recent Workforce Wednesday shared their experiences implementing training programs into their organizations.

What made your organization decide to apply for a training grant program?

Stephanie Ochocki, Corporate Recruitment Director, Seneca Foods

As a canning company in rural Minnesota, we had a lot of trouble recruiting for our technical and mechanical positions. We needed to develop our workforce with some sort of way to get people into these fields who want to live in rural areas. Promoting from within is also one of our company's fundamental values so we wanted to walk the talk. We partnered with the Minnesota Apprenticeship Initiative (MAI) and the Dual Training Pipeline Program and it was a really good experience.

Shawn LaQue, Operations Manager, Terog Manufacturing

I was familiar with grant programs with a different employer and after some research I was able to connect with some programs and it's helped us not only retain but recruit as well.

Erica Lester, Workforce Specialist, MN Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC)

We're in a unique position in that we are the supporting organization for 17 different clinics across Minnesota. One of our huge challenges is recruiting and retaining roles in medical and dental assistance. For us, a large part was getting enough buy in from enough of our clinics and making sure it was worth the time and resources to build the system. Working with the apprenticeship program has been a great process and they've made it as easy as can be for us.

What did the process look like for your company when implementing your training program?

Shawn LaQue, Operations Manager, Terog Manufacturing

The whole process was super easy for our company. After reaching out, it was maybe two weeks and we were already building the foundation to implement the program. To be honest, the program did all the heavy lifting for us. I couldn't say enough good things about the program.

Stephanie Ochocki, Corporate Recruitment Director, Seneca Foods

Prior to this experience, I'd never done a grant application and that was a bit intimidating, but we had a lot of help from both our college partner, MAI and the pipeline program. Everyone was a huge help.

Erica Lester, Workforce Specialist, MN Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC)

For us it was a bit of a longer process from start to finish. It took us about a year to get everything up and off the ground. We modeled our program after an apprenticeship program in Washington state so it took us time to modify what they had done so it could work for us in Minnesota. It was a bit of a long process, but it wasn't a difficult process.

Does having a training program in place at your company help with employee retention?

Stephanie Ochocki, Corporate Recruitment Director, Seneca Foods

Yes, this is a huge help for both recruitment and retention. The fact that you're willing to invest in your employees makes everyone feel good. Some of our trainers have told us they feel really awesome training in new people.

Erica Lester, Workforce Specialist, MN Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC)

In the healthcare space, the biggest problem with retention is that other clinics are willing to pay more so some of our employees leave. But what we've heard since starting this program is that the employees we're training up feel very valued and cared for in their clinics, so even if there's a place that might pay them more, they wouldn't feel as valued as they do with us.

What is one piece of advice you'd give employers unsure about applying for grants and trainings to upskill their workforce?

Erica Lester, Workforce Specialist, MNACHC

I know when I started creating our apprenticeship program, it seemed so daunting to put all the pieces together, but you don't have to reinvent the wheel. It was so easy to see what the apprenticeship initiative had done in the past and use those pieces to make our program.

Shawn LaQue, Operations Manager, Terog Manufacturing

I don't know why you wouldn't want to try it out as an employer.

Stephanie Ochocki, Corporate Recruitment Director, Seneca Foods

It can be super easy to get started if you just reach out for help.

View a recording of July's session and other past sessions, plus find related resources you can download and use, on the Workforce Wednesday page on CareerForceMN.com.