Letter from the Board Chair
Loren Nelson
Chair, Central Minnesota Workforce Development Board
President, Aurelius Mfg. Co., Inc.
While the mission of the WorkForce Centers, now called CareerForce, is constant, the immediate needs of businesses and job seekers are continually changing. The current challenges of historically low unemployment rates with employers begging for skilled workers are very different from the times when unemployment was high and laid-off workers were searching for any opportunities to support their families. These two economic issues may look different, but the tools to address them and the strategies of matching the right people to the right job opportunities while making the best use of training and guidance services for the greatest possible impact, are the same.
The business and community representatives on the Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc. (CMJTS) Workforce Development Board are privileged to do their small part to support the staff at CMJTS who are the workforce professionals doing this very important work, day in and day out, in spite of the distractions and complications that are regularly delivered by our political system. CMJTS workforce development programs and services not only benefit area jobseekers and employers, but also provide a significant stimulant to the economic growth that helps our communities flourish. A special recognition to CMJTS staff and its leadership for 35 years of exemplary service in providing workforce solutions in our 11-county area.