Hennepin Tech Partners With Upsher-Smith for Job Training
A job training partnership between Hennepin Technical College and Upsher-Smith is helping to fill vital roles in the ever-evolving workforce.
In Maple Grove, workers are learning to advance their skills for college credit. That’s thanks to a $226,729 DEED grant through Hennepin Tech that allows them to train on new automated equipment and robotics for free.
Upsher-Smith Operations Training Manager Kevin Krenz said they were looking for ways to build up their workforce in house.
“We knew that we wanted to invest in our employees because that’s our most valuable commodity: our people,” Krenz said. “Just to give them an opportunity to go to college, have success in college, and allow them to open doors for themselves potentially in the future.”
Upsher Smith manufactures generic pharmaceutical products.
The course is eleven weeks long. Students who go through it earn two college credits and a Certified Manufacturing Associate certificate.
“It helps expand on just the general concepts of all manufacturing,” explained Clint Steward, a qualified trainer at Upsher Smith.
Steward is taking the hybrid course. It meets on-site every Tuesday with a virtual instructor. There are three different sections that meet throughout the day, with about 90 Upsher-Smith staff members enrolled, free of charge.
Multiple shifts at Upsher-Smith are enrolled in the two-credit course.
Steward said these skills he and his classmates are learning are transferrable.
“Making sure that things are safe, making sure that things are efficient, making sure that the products are of the quality that you want,” Steward said. “All of that goes across every type of manufacturing environment.”
Building the Future
Melanie Wang, the dean of workforce education at Hennepin Tech, said this free program has a number of benefits.
“The two credits and the certification credential can then be transitioned directly into a program at HTC,” Wang said.
Thanks to that, students get a free start on their education if they choose to continue. They also learn something new about their career.
“It’s really just: We’ve got the knowledge and resources. How can we tailor that to help fuel the future of the area workforce?” Wang said.
This is just one way.
This grant will also be used to help some staff learn occupational English. That program is still in the works, but Krenz said he’s excited to get started.
