[0:02] our um Otteril County quarterly

[0:04] workforce convening. It's good to see

[0:05] everyone online today. Um

[0:09] we are going to take today to um walk

[0:14] through we we did a little bit of a

[0:16] refresh of the county's workforce

[0:19] strategy. And it's good to be able to to

[0:21] have this group, this recurring kind of

[0:23] convening group that joins us um

[0:26] consistently to share this with um just

[0:29] because we feel like this is really um

[0:31] we got a lot of feedback in this refresh

[0:34] process from folks like you, employers

[0:37] and workforce partners um just to make

[0:39] sure that we're still doing the work

[0:41] that we should be doing right here at

[0:42] Ottertale County. So um glad to have

[0:45] everyone on today. Um we are recording

[0:47] today. who will send out a follow-up

[0:49] email as well as the recording of

[0:51] today's meeting um to to reference back

[0:55] to or for anyone who missed today, they

[0:57] can watch watch later as well. So, we'll

[0:59] do uh we'll walk through that OTC Works

[1:02] strategy refresh today. Um and then we

[1:05] also have a a new team member here at

[1:07] Outerail County that we're excited to

[1:08] introduce. So, we'll do that as well.

[1:10] And then um we'll most definitely have

[1:12] time for some any questions or

[1:14] discussion um around that strategy

[1:17] refresh or any uh burning questions that

[1:20] you have for Paige, our new workforce

[1:22] project manager. So we'll go ahead and

[1:25] jump right in. Um what we wanted to

[1:28] start with um I think on the last

[1:30] workforce convening if if you joined us

[1:32] in March, we kind of did a teaser that

[1:34] we would be updating the OTC works

[1:37] workforce strategy. So, it's the

[1:38] county's workforce development strategy.

[1:41] Um, as you can see here on our little

[1:43] timeline, we developed that back in 2021

[1:45] and five years has sure flown by fast

[1:48] and we think we've done a lot of good

[1:50] work in the meantime. Um, but just felt

[1:53] like it was a good good time to do a

[1:55] refresh, make sure we're still um

[1:59] advancing work that is supporting our

[2:01] employers and other workforce partners

[2:03] throughout the county. Um, so just to

[2:06] kind of give you a a background of some

[2:08] of that work since the strategy was

[2:10] developed back in 2021. Um, that same

[2:13] year we began hosting these quarterly

[2:16] workforce convenings. And we've

[2:17] consistently had a really good group of

[2:19] employers and workforce partners join

[2:20] us. We've we've had some conversations

[2:23] internally about do we keep doing these?

[2:25] Are they valuable? But every time we've

[2:27] got 30 to 40 people who join us. So we

[2:30] continue to have these until until folks

[2:32] don't show up anymore. And hopefully

[2:33] this is a good good sharing um space and

[2:37] just information gathering space um that

[2:39] we've been doing since since 2021 um in

[2:44] 2022. Then we hosted our very first um

[2:47] larger [clears throat]

[2:48] format in-person workforce summit. We've

[2:51] done I think three of those since 2022.

[2:55] Um, and those have been great as well to

[2:57] get everyone in the same room and really

[2:59] kind of create um, we've used those as

[3:01] an opportunity to create shared

[3:03] realities around our labor force and

[3:04] workforce situation um, in Ottertale

[3:07] County and then really more broadly even

[3:09] within the state of Minnesota. Um, as a

[3:13] follow-up to that workforce that very

[3:14] first workforce summit, we began sending

[3:16] quarterly email newsletters. So most of

[3:19] you are probably on that email

[3:20] newsletter and that's how you heard

[3:22] about today. Um, so we send those out

[3:25] just as as information and resource um,

[3:28] sharing. Um, that same year in 2022, we

[3:31] kind of started conceptualizing what the

[3:33] empowered worker program looked like. We

[3:35] didn't have that name for it back then,

[3:37] but started to look at um, what

[3:40] addressing barriers to employment would

[3:41] look like for some of our current

[3:43] residents, current workforce, um, or

[3:46] folks who are who were not in the

[3:47] workforce at the time and just

[3:48] brainstorming what that could look like.

[3:50] At the same time, we are also developing

[3:53] the uh youth workforce navigation

[3:56] program. Um so worked really closely

[3:59] with our school and education partners.

[4:01] Um and kind of started to pair them more

[4:05] closely with employers in industry and

[4:07] created some opportunities to have

[4:10] student learning about career paths and

[4:13] um future opportunities that they could

[4:14] explore. Uh 2023 was the first year,

[4:18] first full year of that youth workforce

[4:20] navigation program. Um so we really

[4:22] engaged deeply with our high schools and

[4:24] employers for some youth exposure to

[4:26] various different careers and pathways.

[4:29] Um in 2023 as well kind of continuing

[4:32] that brainstorming with empowered worker

[4:34] but then also just zooming out and

[4:36] looking at the broader workforce

[4:37] development kind of ecosystem. We did

[4:39] what we call the gap analysis. We talk

[4:42] to our workforce partners, employers,

[4:45] um, community action partners, folks

[4:47] within the county here, within our human

[4:49] services and probation departments to

[4:51] really get a good feel of what they wish

[4:53] they could do more of, what they felt

[4:55] like was missing. Um, and had some

[4:58] really good conversations that came out

[5:00] of that. um and and and continued the

[5:04] work with youth in 2024, but then also

[5:07] uh and kind of wrapped that up in 2024,

[5:10] focus on sustainability

[5:12] um within our schools. Really saw some

[5:14] success with our schools, kind of taking

[5:15] that work and leading it on their own.

[5:18] Um and then kind of switched gears to

[5:20] develop the empowered worker program

[5:22] with some of the information that we

[5:24] gathered from our gap analysis the

[5:26] previous year. um launched that with

[5:28] some support from some deed funding in

[5:31] 2024, continued that work really deeply

[5:34] in 2025. That was a a big priority in

[5:37] 2025 for us. Um serving individuals with

[5:40] barriers to employment and then

[5:42] providing that training and securing

[5:43] employment work kind of all wrapped into

[5:46] the empowered worker program. And um

[5:49] through that that long um 5 years and

[5:53] even going back before that we were also

[5:55] at the county involved in collaborating

[5:58] with Ottertale Lakes Country on resident

[6:00] recruitment efforts um and that's really

[6:03] kind of again focused on bringing more

[6:05] folks to the county um throughout that

[6:07] time. So that leads us to 2026. Um when

[6:11] we when we did our refresh of the

[6:14] strategy um and I think we've talked

[6:17] about a lot um OTC works stands for the

[6:20] OTC is Ottertale County but also we've

[6:22] broke it down and um called it

[6:24] opportunities, training and connection

[6:26] and those aligned with some action areas

[6:29] where we really focused a lot of our

[6:30] work on. So these next few slides kind

[6:33] of just dig in a little bit deeper to a

[6:35] lot of the work that was highlighted in

[6:36] that timeline. Um so opportunities are

[6:40] really focused on promoting the

[6:41] opportunities and the resources for

[6:43] workforce in Ottertale County. Um one of

[6:46] those efforts is what we call on the map

[6:48] efforts. So making sure that people know

[6:51] and Otter County is top of mind for them

[6:53] when they're thinking about relocating

[6:55] to a place to live and work. um that is

[6:58] really has been led by Ottertale Lakes

[7:01] Country and then the county collaborates

[7:02] where we can. Um through that effort we

[7:05] did a a video docu series with Corey

[7:08] Hepa that we called Rural by Choice that

[7:10] really highlighted the the lifestyle of

[7:12] a rural area. Um talked about what it

[7:15] what it felt like to live here and work

[7:17] here. Um, we've had, like I said, that

[7:20] ongoing resident recruitment, marketing,

[7:23] as well as some some really creative

[7:25] partnerships with, uh, Gopher athletics

[7:27] and just some some various different

[7:29] colleges and schools to do advertising

[7:32] and then student and athlete engagement

[7:35] opportunities, too. Um, and then talent

[7:37] tourism is another um, initiative under

[7:40] that work, really building a pipeline of

[7:43] students who may think about moving back

[7:45] to a rural area when they finish school.

[7:48] Um

[7:49] along with that in partnership with

[7:51] Ottertell Lakes Country, we had launched

[7:52] our jobs portal back in 2021 that is

[7:55] still operating. It's a single automated

[7:58] feed of jobs available throughout the

[8:00] county that lives on Ottertale Lakes

[8:02] country's website and really provides a

[8:04] central location for job seekers to look

[8:07] for what's available as far as jobs go

[8:09] within Ottertale County. So that is

[8:11] still operating. Still does get really

[8:13] good traffic living on that website and

[8:15] that's an ongoing effort for us.

[8:18] Um here I just have a couple of

[8:20] snapshots of you know we have in

[8:22] partnership with Ottertale Lakes Country

[8:24] they do featured job posts. They kind of

[8:26] highlight again the the lifestyle of

[8:29] Ottertale County um through some

[8:32] different uh so social media marketing

[8:34] and then ads and then again some of

[8:36] those more um engaging experiences where

[8:39] we've had and invited students to come

[8:41] and experience Otter County as well. So

[8:43] we've got a couple of U of M um

[8:46] University of Minnesota uh volleyball

[8:48] players that came up for a visit and

[8:50] then as well as some some students from

[8:52] the U of M too. So that's been some

[8:54] really fun um engaging and

[8:56] transformative work with those students.

[8:59] Um jumping into the second action area

[9:02] is really focused on training and I kind

[9:04] of highlighted a couple of these pieces

[9:05] already. Um what we bucket into that

[9:08] action area is our in-person workforce

[9:10] summits. these quarterly workforce

[9:13] convenings, um the email newsletters

[9:15] that go out and then um didn't mention

[9:19] this prior, but uh have really found a

[9:22] great partnership with MState in their

[9:24] workforce development solutions um kind

[9:26] of arm to do leadership and mental

[9:29] health first aid training that we

[9:30] offered to employers in Ottertale County

[9:33] at a discounted price for their

[9:35] workforce to go through. So, that was a

[9:36] great partnership as well. Um and then

[9:39] jumping into the third action area is

[9:41] connections. That's really where the

[9:43] bulk of our work has been for the past

[9:45] five years. Um we, you know, talked

[9:48] briefly already about the youth

[9:50] workforce navigation program. That was

[9:52] um we leveraged some some state funding

[9:55] from the youth skills training grant to

[9:56] really get that going. And with that

[9:58] funding, we're able to offer um a number

[10:02] of field trips with anywhere from 15 to

[10:05] 60 students that got to go out for a day

[10:07] and experience um what a what working in

[10:11] Ottertale County and different

[10:12] industries looked like. So we did

[10:13] manufacturing tours, healthcare tours,

[10:16] um lots of different variety,

[10:18] agriculture, all those things. Um I also

[10:22] talked about building that workbased

[10:23] learning capacity within our schools so

[10:25] that there is sustainability of those

[10:27] efforts. So worked really closely with a

[10:29] lot of the workbased learning

[10:30] coordinators throughout the county um to

[10:33] really build their connections to

[10:35] industry um kind of just learn and build

[10:38] their skills with engaging with those

[10:40] employers um and then obviously that

[10:43] helps sustain those efforts too. So it's

[10:45] really great to see some of those those

[10:47] coordinators pick that up and and have

[10:49] really um had a lot of success with

[10:52] their individual school programs in

[10:54] that. Um, we had built a K12 navigator

[10:57] directory which was kind of a similar to

[10:59] the jobs portal but um more generalized

[11:02] to employers that were willing to

[11:03] partner with schools on various

[11:05] different activities. Everything from

[11:06] hosting a field trip to donating

[11:08] materials. Um, so that was a great kind

[11:11] of one-stop shop for our schools and our

[11:13] businesses to to leverage.

[11:16] um built some employer and parent guides

[11:19] too just to share good information and

[11:21] make sure that those uh those efforts

[11:24] were able to sustain and that people

[11:26] were equipped with best practices and

[11:28] then also had convened a a group of

[11:30] employer and partner um employers and

[11:33] partners in an advisory committee to

[11:35] guide that work as well. Um we don't

[11:37] talk too much about it under workforce

[11:39] but it definitely is part of our our

[11:41] workforce strategy and that's childcare

[11:43] capacity expansion. that's still a need

[11:45] that we hear from employers and and

[11:47] workforce labor force often. Um, in that

[11:50] work, we've done a number of rounds for

[11:52] uh direct provider grants to support

[11:54] their businesses. Um, we have leveraged

[11:59] uh some West Central Initiative grant

[12:01] funding to work with um some child care

[12:04] project managers that provide support

[12:06] and technical assistance both direct to

[12:09] providers but also for community

[12:11] projects. Um and that's that community

[12:14] project advancement piece as well. So

[12:16] have had a a support role in a number of

[12:19] projects in um with the expansion of a

[12:22] center in PUM in partnership with a few

[12:25] employers and their support. Um

[12:28] as well as the more recent project in

[12:30] Ottertale with a couple of twin homes

[12:33] expanding capacity in that community. um

[12:36] as well as an employer here in Fergus

[12:38] Falls expanding um some of some

[12:42] community capacity and and building twin

[12:44] homes as well to expand that. Um so

[12:46] that's been some really exciting work

[12:48] and it's peripheral to workforce, but we

[12:49] really feel like it is a a key piece of

[12:51] that too. So I have a couple of

[12:53] snapshots here of mostly that youth

[12:56] youth workforce engagement um work. So

[12:59] this is the picture of um some some

[13:02] tours that were offered with students um

[13:05] in healthcare and this one specifically

[13:07] with Ring Doll EMT um career pathways.

[13:11] There was some internships as well. We

[13:13] had some great employers that offered

[13:15] internships and really that hands-on

[13:17] learning experience for students. So in

[13:19] the top left corner that's a student who

[13:21] did an internship with Shoremaster. Um,

[13:24] and like I said, a number of other

[13:25] employers who hosted students in various

[13:27] different capacities, which was awesome

[13:29] to see. And then that K12 navigator

[13:32] directory and the the parents guide is

[13:34] pictured here as well, just as good

[13:35] resources.

[13:37] Um, and that kind of leads us to what

[13:39] has been our our core focus of the last

[13:42] year, two years I would say now I

[13:44] suppose. Um, and that's the empowered

[13:46] worker program. So that program provides

[13:48] training and supportive navigation

[13:50] services to individuals already in

[13:53] Ottertale County that address or that

[13:55] need some kind of support addressing

[13:56] barriers to employment to obtain high

[13:59] demand livable wage jobs. Um those

[14:02] participants have have worked with a a

[14:05] key um staff member here at Otto County

[14:08] to develop an individualized plan and

[14:10] then receive those individualized

[14:12] support services that help them remove

[14:14] the barriers during their kind of career

[14:16] exploration phase and then achieving

[14:19] whatever sort of training is necessary

[14:20] for them to then gain employment. So,

[14:23] um, we've had that program has been

[14:26] really, really awesome and and quite

[14:28] frankly life-changing for some of the

[14:30] participants and we're excited to

[14:31] continue that with with some upcoming

[14:33] changes here um, this year and going

[14:36] forward. So, have a couple of of

[14:38] snapshots of some success stories of

[14:40] participants that went through that

[14:42] program um, that are all available on

[14:46] the county's website or various

[14:47] different news news sources. So, it's

[14:49] been fun to to feature them as well.

[14:52] Um, so with all of that obviously

[14:55] leading us to today, um, it's been five

[14:59] years of a lot of really exciting work

[15:02] and wanted to make sure that that

[15:03] exciting work continues and is still

[15:06] serving our employers and our workforce

[15:09] partners throughout the county. And so

[15:11] I'm going to turn it over to Amy and

[15:13] she's going to kind of talk through what

[15:14] our what our process was for doing that

[15:17] true strategy refresh and doing some

[15:19] engagement with with those partners.

[15:22] Great. Thanks, Sarah. Uh, so I think I

[15:26] know most of the folks on the call, but

[15:27] there might be a few who are um I'm not

[15:30] uh haven't been able to connect with

[15:31] previously, but my name is Amy Baldwin.

[15:33] I'm the community development director

[15:35] here at Ottertale County. And uh really

[15:39] um uh glad to be here today and and have

[15:42] such a great group to to talk through

[15:44] where we're looking to go into the

[15:46] future from our workforce um development

[15:49] effort. So, as Sarah said, you know, we

[15:51] we kind of were um time flies a surprise

[15:54] to see that it had been five years since

[15:56] we had created that original OTC works

[15:59] strategy uh with with partners and and

[16:02] informed through various um mechanisms

[16:05] uh back in 2021 and thinking about how

[16:08] things have changed. you know, 2021

[16:11] um we were still definitely in um

[16:14] pandemic uh time frame, you know,

[16:17] impacts to employers resulting from that

[16:19] and and have really shifted. Things have

[16:21] changed a lot in the last uh last five

[16:24] years and we we've heard that from our

[16:26] employers, from ourselves as a large

[16:27] employer. Uh we see that shift um

[16:30] happening as we speak. So you know as we

[16:33] look uh again where what are the spaces

[16:35] that we could be involved with um to try

[16:38] to support workforce development and

[16:40] thinking about that attraction retention

[16:42] um training you know the actual talent

[16:44] development um and when we talk about

[16:46] training it is a little different maybe

[16:48] than this this broader holistic um piece

[16:51] uh but employer supports is a big part

[16:53] of what we do or what we have done um

[16:55] and then supporting employees and

[16:57] thinking about that quality of life and

[16:59] connection. So these are kind of just

[17:00] broad buckets that we started with as we

[17:02] looked at that refresh of, you know,

[17:04] what has changed, what's what's looking

[17:06] different, where can we best support our

[17:08] employers and work with our stakeholders

[17:10] on what that looks like. So, what we did

[17:12] um this past spring, we convened a a a

[17:15] smallalish group of employers of

[17:18] different sizes, different industries,

[17:20] different um geographic location across

[17:22] the county, as well as our partners in

[17:25] education, both K12 and higher ed, and

[17:28] came together with um and had just a

[17:30] really great discussion about, you know,

[17:33] wanting to hear back from them, you

[17:34] know, what what has helped um what has

[17:37] been impactful or useful for you that

[17:39] we've done in the past. um and you know

[17:42] what what that would look like. So um we

[17:45] did a kind of an exercise with them to

[17:47] look at our strengths and as well as

[17:49] what gaps they saw still existing or

[17:51] continuing to exist or expecting to come

[17:54] forward and we'll kind of walk through

[17:56] some of those responses that we got from

[17:58] them. So um current strengths right I

[18:01] mean the rural by choice the the

[18:02] resident recruitment work really

[18:04] resonated um and came out you know that

[18:06] messaging that through Ottertale Lakes

[18:08] country we are really pushing out to a

[18:11] very large audience um to really

[18:13] highlight Ottertale County as a place

[18:15] that um to to come and live and to work

[18:19] and really thinking about those in their

[18:21] prime working years with some of that

[18:22] messaging um all based on data that we

[18:25] have um had started with back um back in

[18:28] 161 17 when we first started that and

[18:31] and that still resonates to be true with

[18:33] folks about why they choose um that

[18:35] simpler life. Um bringing people

[18:38] together, hosting our summits was

[18:39] something that was highlighted as

[18:41] strengths. You know, learning from each

[18:42] other, you know, being in the same space

[18:44] as other employers is something that um

[18:47] doesn't happen a lot. And even in our

[18:49] our kind of our focus group that we had

[18:51] that came across that new connections

[18:53] were made just in that that meeting for

[18:55] folks who hadn't connected because

[18:57] they're you know not in the same

[18:59] community so they just haven't had the

[19:01] opportunity to cross paths. So learning

[19:03] from each other um and thinking about

[19:05] that and and then the information of

[19:07] course that is presented and shared out

[19:09] at those summits um came across again as

[19:11] as value or strength that we're able to

[19:13] be a convenor and bring people together

[19:16] both um in person and and virtually like

[19:18] we are today. again, Ottertail Lakes

[19:20] Country um specifically called out in

[19:23] what that the work that they do as a

[19:25] partner and really supporting um across,

[19:28] you know, promoting our communities,

[19:29] promoting our county overall. And then

[19:32] those employers, like Sarah shared a

[19:33] couple of those um employer um job

[19:36] opportunity post, things like that that

[19:38] really um connect that messaging like,

[19:40] "Hey, you just had a great weekend here.

[19:42] Maybe you want to come back and and move

[19:44] and live here." um you know, this time

[19:46] of the year is is ripe for that as as

[19:48] I'm sure everyone who was around this

[19:50] weekend experienced lots of folks from

[19:53] um out of the area that that maybe would

[19:55] love to to make their home here. um uh

[19:58] MState, you know, we've already uh noted

[20:00] them as a great partner and and they

[20:02] were recognized as well and really being

[20:04] responsive and and looking at the

[20:06] changing um workforce needs and employer

[20:09] needs to to train and and equip um those

[20:13] uh employees for for the needs that are

[20:15] there. And then child care. Um the work

[20:17] that we do to um help again bring people

[20:20] together, bring opportunities to

[20:22] fruition, providing technical

[20:23] assistance, grant writing, things like

[20:25] that to help expand that capacity of

[20:28] child care. Uh so those were some that

[20:30] that popped up. Um but we also asked

[20:32] them what are the gaps, you know, what

[20:34] are we still missing from from the work

[20:36] that's happening? And um housing housing

[20:39] [laughter] number, you know, number one

[20:41] and two there. Um not not surprising.

[20:44] And as we look back to why we started

[20:46] our housing initiative, a different

[20:48] different side, um it was around

[20:50] workforce. And so, right, that

[20:52] interconnectivity remains and not

[20:55] surprise to to most, but that affordable

[20:58] housing, the starter housing, the um you

[21:01] know, it's it's just gotten so um uh

[21:04] challenging for folks to obtain housing

[21:08] that is within their um general um uh

[21:14] capacity from an income standpoint. And

[21:16] so that is something we continue to work

[21:18] on. We as as many of you know, we do

[21:20] work in the the housing realm pretty

[21:22] heavily as well. And so making sure

[21:25] we're are continuing to connect those

[21:27] two, you know, what is the affordability

[21:29] um needs of our workforce truly? You

[21:33] know, we talk about workforce housing a

[21:35] lot, but what does that mean and and

[21:36] help people even further understand that

[21:39] as we work to um both develop and

[21:41] preserve housing? And really that

[21:43] preserved housing is often what's most

[21:45] affordable uh for for folks to get into.

[21:48] So um you know that that always is a

[21:52] gap. Um and you know just thinking about

[21:54] how do we um connect people you know to

[21:58] when we were doing the youth work we had

[22:01] you know a a kind of a it was pretty

[22:03] basic but it worked. Um a connection

[22:05] through a website to um allow people to

[22:08] to have those relationships. um that was

[22:11] on the youth side, but how do we, you

[22:12] know, kind of create that um those

[22:14] connections maybe a little differently

[22:16] and and how to explore careers um and

[22:19] understand what's available here in

[22:20] Ottertale County? That's something that

[22:23] we really worked heavily with the youth

[22:24] work when we were more deeply involved

[22:26] in that was to ensure the students knew

[22:29] what the career opportunities were in

[22:31] the future. you know, it might not be

[22:33] this year or next year or even the year

[22:34] after for those students um as they

[22:37] pursue other opportunities or

[22:39] experiences um maybe outside of

[22:41] Ottertell County, but for them to know

[22:43] and have an under, you know, at least

[22:45] some understanding of what opportunities

[22:47] might they be able to come back to and

[22:49] connect into. So, that was a big part of

[22:51] the youth work that we did. um you know

[22:54] some uh changes with MState as far as

[22:57] you know programs moving but also some

[22:59] really exciting um opportunities uh with

[23:02] MState as well. Uh and then we did talk

[23:04] quite a bit about um just the challenges

[23:07] of connecting into communities. So, we

[23:09] do the work, we get someone here, an

[23:11] employer is able to recruit somebody um

[23:13] and get them hired and and they find

[23:16] housing hopefully, but then there just

[23:17] isn't um always the opportunity to get

[23:21] connected into that community and feel

[23:23] more you have your place in community

[23:25] and not just you know with an employer

[23:27] or um you know those kind of more direct

[23:30] relationships. So, that was uh something

[23:33] that we talked about and it's it's hard.

[23:35] We we've had, you know, some little

[23:37] efforts up and down and tried to help

[23:39] with with some of those and a couple of

[23:41] our communities have done deeper um

[23:44] partnerships with U of M extension to

[23:46] think about welcoming communities and

[23:48] what that looks like for them. So, um

[23:51] you know, we'll continue to think about

[23:53] that and and recognize it's absolutely a

[23:55] gap there as well. Uh and then finally,

[23:59] you know, again, I kind of talked about

[24:00] the opportunities. Um so um that

[24:03] lifestyle um piece and thinking about

[24:06] the students and um focusing in on those

[24:10] who maybe have a connection a connection

[24:12] to rural but maybe it's not Ottertale

[24:15] County specific but have that rural um

[24:18] desire and understanding of the pace of

[24:20] life and and may may wish to come back

[24:22] to. So really thinking about leaning

[24:23] into that with that talent tourism or

[24:26] you know another effort um and what that

[24:28] could look like. um the uh you know uh

[24:32] MState and other resource sharing. So

[24:34] what else is out there for for training

[24:36] funding um I think I saw one of our

[24:38] partners at DLI on the call earlier and

[24:41] that's absolutely uh from the state

[24:43] department of labor and industry has

[24:44] some great programs that is who um

[24:46] helped fund our youth workforce efforts

[24:49] uh through a grant there and as Sarah

[24:50] mentioned a number of our school

[24:52] districts have been able to continue to

[24:54] leverage uh that funding um uh multiple

[24:58] times now. So uh and then there's uh on

[25:01] the adult side for apprenticeships and

[25:03] and other um programs there. So that is

[25:07] something that we are looking at. How

[25:08] can we better connect our businesses

[25:10] with those available resources

[25:11] predominantly at the state um state

[25:14] level for those uh again uh how do we

[25:18] continue to connect industry and schools

[25:20] getting those those connections made to

[25:22] further that um what are those

[25:24] opportunities going forward? what are

[25:25] the you know um the careers in demand

[25:28] that are here not just in that global

[25:30] sense you know sometimes I um I've

[25:33] experienced you know where there's a

[25:35] general discussion about what are those

[25:37] careers that are in demand and it's it's

[25:39] broader even if it's statewide we're

[25:41] different here locally so how do we help

[25:44] um think about that uh and more of that

[25:47] localized effort and and whether it's

[25:49] arming our school districts with that

[25:50] localized information you know how can

[25:52] we how can we help to bring either data

[25:54] uh or um connections uh forward to help

[25:58] get those students more um connected

[26:00] with our local industry. And then

[26:02] finally, you know, what are those those

[26:04] onboarding or welcoming resources that

[26:06] might be able to help um folks plug in

[26:09] better in community and um you know what

[26:12] that might look like. So continue to

[26:14] think about what that is and we welcome

[26:16] all ideas and what that might look like

[26:18] and maybe it looks different in each

[26:20] community depending on you know size and

[26:22] capacities and and if there's ways we

[26:24] can help um share those best practices

[26:27] or things that are working in in one

[26:29] community to another that's um would be

[26:31] would be great to do that.

[26:34] Um so with all of that um we took that

[26:37] feedback and we discussed with our

[26:40] subcommittee of our community

[26:41] development agency board um that's

[26:44] focused on workforce and as well as the

[26:46] full CDA board in the last couple months

[26:49] about you know what what is our role

[26:52] what should we be thinking about what

[26:53] should be our guiding principles and

[26:56] that's where we landed here with these

[26:58] bullets and I'll just kind of talk

[26:59] through a few of them um but you know we

[27:03] know the the workforce needs and and our

[27:05] the growth of our communities um are

[27:08] interconnected, you know, including

[27:09] housing and child care. All of these

[27:12] things have to come together for our

[27:14] communities to thrive and for our

[27:16] families and residents and workforce to

[27:18] uh be supported.

[27:21] Um, we know the data. Our our workforce

[27:24] is projected to decline because of our

[27:26] aging population, people aging out of

[27:28] the workforce and our younger um our

[27:31] growth in population isn't offsetting

[27:33] that. And so, um, that's that's a a data

[27:36] point reality that we have to just

[27:38] continue to keep in mind. You know,

[27:40] again, numbers are shifting a, you know,

[27:42] over um over time, but that's um that's

[27:46] the window we're in for some some period

[27:48] of time as far as the the aging and as

[27:50] we we get through that um that bubble.

[27:53] But we have to make sure we're building

[27:54] up that population um and uh available

[27:58] workforce. Um skills are changing,

[28:01] right? I mean we've we've probably today

[28:03] if you turned on the radio or you know

[28:05] read your your um news briefings uh AI

[28:08] was being talked about that is a huge

[28:10] shift um in thinking about how that

[28:13] impacts workforce how it impacts

[28:15] employers and how they get work done and

[28:17] how do we prepare a workforce to be

[28:19] ready for that and and and many other

[28:21] things but that's the one that seems to

[28:23] often be top of mind is that changing um

[28:26] environment uh a lot driven by AI

[28:31] um again that that need to recruit the

[28:33] workforce connected back to that

[28:35] reduction in labor force. Thinking about

[28:37] um recruiting and retaining those those

[28:39] residents in those the prime working

[28:41] years, you know, 30 to 45ish um is kind

[28:45] of the the window we look at. Um and

[28:48] then keeping that that in the back of

[28:51] our mind or forefront actually is that

[28:53] workforce is really about the people. So

[28:55] their skills, what are the skills that

[28:57] they need, what are their own

[28:58] experiences and that you know their

[29:01] backgrounds all matter. You know that's

[29:04] um when we initially envisioned the

[29:07] empowered worker program, it was

[29:09] thinking about who was still on the

[29:10] sidelines of of workforce. We had a we

[29:13] have a still a high workforce

[29:15] participation rate. Um but those who

[29:17] weren't participating, what were you

[29:20] know what what was behind that? And

[29:22] often it was either real or perceived

[29:24] barriers um to the workforce. And so

[29:27] what that um you know looks like and

[29:29] what's what's having that perceived um

[29:32] challenge or real um it it uh it

[29:35] matters. We need to continue to think

[29:37] about it from that that people centric

[29:39] personentric um position. And then

[29:42] finally, partnerships. Like like

[29:44] anything that we do um within our work

[29:46] in community development and housing,

[29:47] it's all about the partnerships. We're

[29:49] able to build and sustain and and think

[29:52] about, you know, where there's gaps or

[29:53] where someone else might be better

[29:55] equipped to to be part of that solution

[29:57] or to fill that gap and or where can we

[29:59] do it together. And so, um, just always

[30:02] having that as the the foundation of the

[30:05] work that we do, I think, um, helps, um,

[30:08] hopefully, um, everyone be more

[30:10] successful, whether it's the employer or

[30:12] the individual, um, and our county and

[30:14] communities as a whole. So, those are

[30:17] kind of the what we want to keep in

[30:19] mind. We have these um, principles that

[30:21] we've used for our housing efforts as

[30:24] well. And so it it kind of just grounds

[30:26] our work and gives us a little bit of

[30:28] the why of what um why why is the county

[30:31] involved, you know, because of these

[30:33] these items that help um you know, again

[30:36] guide the the investment and the work

[30:38] that we're doing and the prioritization

[30:40] of workforce.

[30:42] Um so those will look a little different

[30:44] as we talk about strategies um and

[30:47] efforts, but the core actions that were

[30:49] developed back in 2021 have really

[30:52] remained the same. a couple of word

[30:53] tweaks, but these are the actions that

[30:55] we've talked about that that if you've

[30:57] been on any of our um been part of any

[30:59] of our workforce efforts, um convenings,

[31:02] virtual or in person, we've talked about

[31:04] these three things. So, again, promoting

[31:06] the availability of jobs um and

[31:08] workforce resources. So, how do we

[31:10] continue to do that? Um help our

[31:12] employers promote their opportunities

[31:14] and recruit as well as retain their

[31:17] workers most effectively and

[31:18] efficiently. And then finally again

[31:20] around that partnerships. How do we

[31:22] create partnerships to improve career

[31:24] readiness, reduce barriers to employment

[31:26] and then align skills for the future

[31:28] workforce needs? Really thinking about

[31:29] our youth as well as um the retraining

[31:32] or upskilling or reskilling of our

[31:35] current workforce. So those are the

[31:37] action areas that we um will be

[31:39] continuing to to follow and guide the

[31:42] work that we do, the programs and

[31:43] initiatives that we might launch or

[31:45] advance. um you know in line with those

[31:47] principles on the why why are we doing

[31:49] this work. Um so with that I um would

[31:55] love to introduce uh Paige Carlson and I

[31:59] will just turn it over to Paige to talk

[32:01] about the work she'll be doing here at

[32:03] the county. So take it away Paige.

[32:06] » Alrighty. Thank you Amy. Um so I'm just

[32:10] so excited to be here Paige Carlson. Um,

[32:14] one thing that I've been thinking of,

[32:16] uh, as Sarah and Amy had been talking, I

[32:18] talked to an employer yesterday who was

[32:21] just frustrated with some of the folks

[32:24] coming in and didn't understand the

[32:26] value of networking. And so, it's just

[32:29] great to really hear about, you know,

[32:31] partnerships through all of this and

[32:33] seeing so many people on the call. Um,

[32:36] so I think it's great and I hope this

[32:38] group really keeps going and coming

[32:40] together for these. Uh but anyways,

[32:42] Paige Carlson. I um am coming from I was

[32:46] with Community Action in Elbow Lake. Uh

[32:50] for the last few years, I was a director

[32:52] in the aging services as well as asset

[32:55] development. And so I'm excited being an

[32:57] Ottertale County girl, being back in

[33:00] Ottertale County um with all of you. And

[33:02] I do recognize a few names on the list.

[33:06] So just know that I see you. And shout

[33:09] out, hello. Um, and I'm excited to get

[33:12] to know all of the rest of you because

[33:14] that is going to be a big part of my

[33:16] role is just really connecting with all

[33:18] of you and understanding um, what your

[33:21] needs are and what we can do to help and

[33:24] support you and just really getting to

[33:27] to know everything that you have going

[33:29] on in your world. And then another part

[33:32] of my role is also to continue that

[33:34] empowered worker program. uh just

[33:37] helping be that workforce navigator for

[33:39] those participants. We do currently have

[33:42] funding for an agricultural career path.

[33:45] So, it's for empowered workers who are

[33:48] wanting to pursue a career in egg. And

[33:51] so, I of course want to get to know all

[33:54] of you and uh build those partnerships

[33:57] with you. Uh but definitely specifically

[34:00] with any of you folks out there. Um, I

[34:03] have connected with a few of you already

[34:06] and we've set up some different job

[34:07] shadowing opportunities. So, that's been

[34:10] great. Um, so yeah, I'm just really

[34:12] excited to be here and to keep the work

[34:15] going.

[34:20] » Great. Thanks, Paige. And again,

[34:22] welcome. We're excited to have you here

[34:23] at the county. Um the as as Paige said

[34:28] she'll you know she'll be outreaching to

[34:29] employers a across industry but a

[34:32] special focus on those egg partners

[34:34] right now and and that does have a you

[34:36] know somewhat broad you know food

[34:37] processing is you know things adjacent

[34:40] to egg are involved in that that

[34:42] pipeline of agriculture and and um from

[34:45] start to finish uh is is part of that.

[34:48] So, um, so always looking for partners

[34:50] across there to see where where that

[34:53] might look. Um, so I know with that we

[34:56] can open up to questions. Uh, was is

[34:58] that right, Sarah? I'm looking to Sarah.

[35:00] [laughter]

[35:01] » Yep. Um, or discussion or, you know,

[35:04] feel free to drop things in the chat or

[35:06] go ahead and unmute. We're a pretty

[35:07] small enough group. We'll we can manage

[35:10] that. that if there's any questions

[35:11] about the work we're doing, questions

[35:12] for Paige, um, or if you want to drop

[35:16] your, you know, if you're if you're

[35:17] ready to to connect with Paige this

[35:18] week, drop your well, I don't want to

[35:20] commit to Paige's availability in the

[35:22] near future.

[35:24] » Drop your email in the chat and and

[35:26] we'll for sure get you on that list.

[35:28] Yeah,

[35:29] » I can pop in anytime. So, whenever you

[35:31] got time, I'll make it work.

[35:33] » Yeah. So, if you're open to a, you know,

[35:36] um, connection with Paige or, you know,

[35:38] want to make sure you get, um,

[35:39] prioritized on that, drop that in the

[35:42] chat or reach out to Paige. Our emails

[35:43] are up here. Um, now

[35:48] um,

[35:51] quiet group today. Anyone?

[35:58] I think just to add one of the things

[35:59] that we wanted to highlight is um with

[36:02] PA's role it really is more than

[36:04] empowered worker. Um that's obviously a

[36:07] a a big initiative but um that employer

[36:11] outreach and engagement and really

[36:13] identifying those needs and and trying

[36:14] to be I think a little bit of technical

[36:17] assistance but just a lot of support um

[36:20] and be that that kind of one-stop shop

[36:22] or tasking page with becoming an expert

[36:25] in lots of things. So, um, we're excited

[36:28] to to hear what your needs are from all

[36:32] all employers. I mean, egg focused, like

[36:34] we said, but all employers and just

[36:36] really identify where we can be most

[36:39] helpful.

[36:41] » Yep. and as well as partners. You know,

[36:43] we know that programs and and um

[36:46] opportunities or uh you know, how how

[36:49] workforce is supported, you know,

[36:51] changes and es and flows and evolves and

[36:53] and so just making sure we're staying up

[36:56] to speed on what else is happening, you

[36:57] know, regionally and statewide. Um and

[37:00] how, you know, how we can help again our

[37:02] employers tap into those um like Sarah

[37:05] Sarah and Paige said,

[37:13] Okay, I'm counting in my head for the

[37:15] awkward silence that you're supposed to

[37:17] allow space. [laughter]

[37:21] If there aren't any questions or

[37:22] comments or any discussion, just a

[37:24] reminder, we will send out a link to the

[37:26] recording and the slides for today. So,

[37:28] you'll have um emails and contact

[37:31] information and then some of obviously

[37:33] the the background of what we've talked

[37:34] about today. Um, if there's anyone else

[37:37] within your organizations that you'd

[37:39] want to make sure does know about the

[37:41] strategy refresh or should be connecting

[37:43] with PA page, please feel free to to

[37:46] share that follow-up information with

[37:48] them. Um, that would be a really great

[37:50] touch point and and we can also get them

[37:53] um on our distribution list for future

[37:56] convenings and newsletters and all those

[37:57] things too. So, um, use that as a as a

[38:00] pass along as well.

[38:05] All right. Well, seeing uh no one hop

[38:08] off mute or or express a a desire to to

[38:12] chat in the group, uh we will conclude

[38:15] and give you guys a little bit of time

[38:16] back and just watch for the follow-up

[38:18] from Sarah. And always know we are here

[38:20] to partner and think about creative

[38:22] solutions and uh unique opportunities

[38:25] and and uh um continue the work that

[38:29] needs to be done to support workforce.

[38:30] So, take care everyone.

[38:33] Thanks everybody. Bye.

[38:36] » Thanks everybody. Good job today.

Workforce Partner Meeting | July 2026

Transcript