Workforce grants and incentives

Finding, attracting and retaining employees

New pools of talent

Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces

Local talent networks

Other resources

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Workforce grants and incentives

Grants and financial incentives are available for hiring, training new and existing employees, offering internships, and expanding your business. These funds are often are promoted by local workforce boards, economic development agencies, and others. Read the details below to see if your business qualifies.

Job Creation Fund DEED Provides financial incentives to new and expanding businesses that meet certain job creation and capital investment targets. CLICK HERE	Partnership Program DEED Grants focused on providing training for both new and existing employees of participating businesses throughout the state. Must partner with an accredited Minnesota educational institution. CLICK HERE	Job Training Incentive Program DEED Provides grants to new or expanding businesses located in Greater Minnesota for the purposes of training workers as quickly and efficiently as possible. CLICK HERE

Work Opportunity Tax Credit DEED The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to all businesses as an incentive to hire workers in certain groups. CLICK HERE	Low Income Worker Training Program DEED Provides grants of up to $200,000 to public, private, or nonprofit entities to help low-income people gain new skills necessary move up the career ladder to higher paying jobs and greater economic self-sufficiency. CLICK HERE	Greater Minnesota Job Expansion Program DEED Sales tax refunds for 7 years to existing businesses expanding in Greater Minnesota. CLICK HERE

Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) Competitive Grant DEED The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) provides workforce development and training opportunities for economically disadvantaged adults through the Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) grant program. CLICK HERE	Automation Training Incentive Program DEED Provides grants to small businesses for the purpose of training existing workers on new automation technology. CLICK HERE	SciTech Internship Program Minnesota Technology Association SciTech connects small Minnesota companies offering paid internships to college students pursuing STEM majors. Employers receive a 50% wage match worth up to $2,500. CLICK HERE

Minnesota Dual Training Pipeline Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Pipeline exists to support employers in creating or enhancing a competency based dual-training approach where workers receive a combination of related instruction strategically paired with on-the-job training. Dual-training grants through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education provide funding for employers to create new and expand existing dual-training initiatives. CLICK HERE	Apprenticeship grants Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Funding to support career exploration programs that will introduce youth to careers through registered apprenticeship. CLICK HERE	Youth Skills Training grants Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Grant funds can be used for marketing, recruitment, training, transportation, student certifications and personnel to manage a program. Grants cannot be used to pay student wages. CLICK HERE

Duluth Workforce Development On-The-Job Training Program City of Duluth Up to 50% reimbursement of the wage rate of an employee through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to offset training costs. CLICK HERE	NEMOJT Talent Development Program (TDP) Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training Includes financial help for businesses with special requirements. 7(a) loans have a maximum loan amount of $5 million. CLICK HERE

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Finding, attracting and retaining employees

Local CareerForce offices, regional workforce boards, employment services providers

Local CareerForce offices
CareerForce helps employees with career development, but more importantly for employers, their offices across the state are charged with matching job seekers to available jobs. Your local CareerForce office can help your business develop an employee retention plan and connect you with employees from hidden pools of talent, including veterans, people with disabilities, youth, seasonal workers and the previously incarcerated.

Regional workforce boards
Your community has specific workforce challenges and specific needs. Each community in the state has workforce boards to provide local input and direction to develop workforce in these areas. These boards are 51% employer-led, and receive significant federal dollars. Developing a relationship with your local workforce board may be helpful to advancing tailored workforce solutions.

Employment service providers
There’s a wide range of employment service providers across Minnesota. This network provides varying levels of workforce development assistance often aimed at specific populations.

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New pools of talent

On-demand webinars

On-demand webinars to help you find new employees in untapped talent pools

Second chance hiring

Building a disability-inclusive workforce

Attracting and retaining service members and veterans

Creating racially diverse and inclusive workplaces

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Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces

The Minnesota Chamber Foundation understands that inclusive workplaces are essential to build and welcome our future workforce. The Minnesota business community plays an important role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statewide, and our goal is to connect you with resources and support you in doing so. If you would like one-on-one assistance to help with your business’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, please contact Whitney Harvey, our Sr. Director of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion at wharvey@mnchamber.com.

View resources

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Local talent networks

Business Education Network | Business Education Network five-year report

Business Education Network (BEN)

We work with local chambers of commerce in communities throughout the state to find workforce solutions. The Business Education Network, for example, is a private-sector-led initiative that builds networks in local communities among chambers, businesses, educators, schools and students to build sustainable, nimble pathways to local careers and higher education opportunities.

Local Business Education Network partners include:

Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
Burnsville Chamber of Commerce
Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce
Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce
Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Mankato Growth
Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce
Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce
MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
Minneapolis Regional Chamber
New Ulm Chamber of Commerce
Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce
Princeton Chamber of Commerce
Redwood Area Chamber of Commerce
River Heights Chamber of Commerce
Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce
Shakopee Area Chamber of Commerce
St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce
Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce
Waconia Chamber of Commerce
White Bear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
Winona Chamber of Commerce

Learn more

Business Education Network: Five years of transforming tomorrow's workforce

View report

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Other resources

A variety of other helpful resources such as national and state-specific job boards, data to help you understand the shifting landscape of the worker shortage, and details on labor regulation in Minnesota.

Data for businesses
DEED

CLICK HERE

Regional wage and demand data
CareerForce

CLICK HERE

Labor Research Resources
U.S. Department of Labor

CLICK HERE

Employment projections
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CLICK HERE

CareerWise
Minnesota State

CLICK HERE

Center for Economic Research
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

CLICK HERE