St. Cloud State University, in partnership with Pinnacle Climate Technologies and Landwehr Construction Inc. (LCI), earned a $50,000 and $216,000 training grant, respectively. These grants were awarded to SCSU from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) recently under the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership.
As part of the grant, each company will acquire training customized to its specific needs and equipment in order to develop a workforce with cutting-edge knowledge and skills to maintain their competitive edge and meet future demands. Pinnacle Climate Technologies, LCI and SCSU will partner with local colleges and instructors to deliver customized training.
The grants are intended to have three outcomes:
- The incumbent worker is gaining skills they can carry with them
- The company is gaining a stronger workforce with enhanced skills specific to their industry
- SCSU, along with other local colleges, is gaining increased capacity to develop and deliver new programming that can be used by other businesses
Pinnacle Climate Technologies provides climate control solutions to commercial, industrial, agricultural and retail customers throughout the world. As a global leader with clients in 60 countries, the company is experiencing rapid growth and will reach $74 million in sales in 2023.
Landwehr is a fifth generation, family-owned business since 1895. The construction industry has continually advanced, and LCI has invested in heavy machinery and autonomous construction vehicles, which requires highly-trained and knowledgeable employees. The MJSP-supported training grant enables the company to operate effectively and remain safe on the job while meeting their customers’ needs.
Both company’s training programs, developed by SCSU, will enhance and expand the current in-house training programs and develop new customized training programs to create a culture of learning and increase the employees’ skills.
SCSU’s Professional and Continuing Education department (PACE) partners with businesses to offer professional development, customized training and host conferences and events. PACE has partnered with 19 companies on grants totaling over $4.6 million, serving nearly 6,000 employees with professional and continuing education customized to their industry.
