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Project spotlights area job openings

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce and the economic development division of the city are united in their efforts to grow a local workforce by delivering a message to students and their parents: Area employers have job openings that can lead to well-paying careers, and they will help pay for training and education.

The two entities have developed CareerWise, a pamphlet listing various jobs available, level of education required and median hourly wage. The 40 jobs listed on the CareerWise flyer are only a small number of area openings listed on MinnesotaWorks.net, which usually has a roster of about 300 available positions within a 30-mile radius of Fairmont. On Friday, 340 available jobs were posted.

“The lack of workforce is a huge problem. I know of a lot of companies who want to expand but can’t because of the shortage of workers,” said Linsey Preuss, Fairmont economic development coordinator.

She has research showing that 75 percent of 10th-graders surveyed would stay in their home area if they had a respectable job prospect, and the majority of these students’ primary source of advice is their parents and families.

Preuss and Ned Koppen, president of the Fairmont Chamber, joined forces to design the CareerWise pamphlet and get it to people who influence and advise students.

“We put it in four event programs like football, basketball or band concerts, in the Fairmont Area School District. Then we went to other Martin County schools,” Koppen said. “When we contacted the school administrators, they were so accepting of the idea. They embraced what we are trying to do.”

Guidance counselors at Fairmont, Truman, Granada-Huntley-East Chain, Martin County West and Martin Luther High School have CareerWise pamphlets available to pass on to students, and parents are given them during school conferences.

The debut CareerWise circular’s occupations list runs from cashiers to clerks, to law enforcement officers, to computer systems analysts and everything in between, with educational requirements ranging from less than a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree or higher. The information on educational requirements and median hourly wages is furnished by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

“The intention is to change it every year, to grow the program and show more opportunities,” Koppen said.

“Next year, we want to have a CareerWise for the medical field, a CareerWise for industry, a CareerWise for IT, one for trades,” Preuss said.

“We have both talked to more employers that want to be involved so there are more opportunities for this program,” Koppen said.

On the pamphlet’s reverse side is a list of five sponsors who paid for the materials and printing costs. Each of these sponsors offers continuing education, help with education, on-the-job training, job shadowing or apprenticeships to qualified job-seekers.

“They offer some kind of help in getting people to a very competitive wage or what I think of as a career wage,” Koppen said.

“Day Plumbing, Heating and Cooling has job-shadowing and apprenticeships. If you are interested in anything in that field, contact them, and they’ll be happy to walk you through the process,” Preuss said.

“Hy-Vee has a management school for the grocery business,” Koppen said. “If you work for Hy-Vee and have an interest in becoming a department manager or ultimately becoming a store manager, they will put you through their college. It’s a program that involves shadowing, education and going to other locations to be trained up to a level where you can take that next step.”

“Zierke Built Manufacturing will train welders so you can eventually make $20 an hour,” she said.

“Or more. That’s just a start,” Koppen said.

“Lakeview’s (Methodist Health Care Center) program is phenomenal,” Preuss said. “Lakeview will pay for you to become a nursing assistant. They will pay for the training while you are working for them, and it doesn’t have to be full time. If you want to keep moving up and become a licensed practical nurse and then go on to be a registered nurse, they will pay for the whole thing — 100 percent.”

C & B Operations, the John Deere dealer in Truman, offers a special college for diesel mechanics, who are in high demand in the job market.

“They will reimburse you for your education, and they offer other incentives. It makes it very, very affordable, and it’s a high-paying job,” Koppen said.

Preuss said business owners and managers contacted about CareerWise were very supportive of the project and the “grow your own workforce” philosophy.

“No one turned us down,” Koppen said. “Every single one of these sponsors is looking for workforce. They are being proactive so they can get the best people. And they are all right here in Martin County.”

More information on CareerWise is available online at fedamn.com or fairmontchamber.org

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