Skills are at the center of the new economy.
In an increasingly global economy with new technologies evolving every day, a highly-skilled workforce is more critical than ever to economic growth and shared prosperity.
However, more and more employers cannot find the skilled workers they need to grow their businesses - even amid high unemployment. This is because many adults in Minnesota lack the skills to succeed in high-demand, well-paying careers. As a result of this growing skills gap, Minnesota’s economy cannot reach its full potential.
Building skills to grow our economy.
Minnesota FastTRAC (Training, Resources, and Credentialing) seeks to make Minnesota more competitive by meeting the common skills needs of businesses and individuals.
FastTRAC’s innovative approach helps educationally underprepared adults succeed in well-paying careers by integrating basic skills education and career-specific training in fields where new skills are in high demand. By focusing on high-demand fields, FastTRAC meets the needs of business while ensuring that students find well-paying jobs with room for advancement.
FastTRAC is changing the way Minnesota does workforce development.
FastTRAC is a collaboration between a number of state, local, and national partners, and part of a broader career pathways movement. With a shared vision for success, FastTRAC partners are changing the way they do business to align limited resources towards meaningful long-term outcomes for adult learners.
Meaningful results for working learners.
To date, 88 percent of participants in FastTRAC credit-bearing integrated Adult Basic Education/postsecondary courses have successfully completed the integrated course.
New! Employers, educators, and students tell their FastTRAC story:
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College View Nancy Genelin, Vice President of South Central College, answers "Why FastTRAC?" |
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Instructor View Maryl Scott, Nursing Instructor, South Central College and Betty Charlton, Academic Coach, Mankato Area Adult Basic Education work toward a common goal - student success. |
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Student View Lisa tells her FastTRAC story. |
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Adult Basic Education View Karen Wolters, Adult Basic Education Regional Transition Coordinator, Central Minnesota explains FastTRAC! |
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Student View Eric talks about the impact of FastTRAC on his family. |
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Employer View Deb Barnes, Administrator, Parker Oaks Communities, Inc. explains what FastTRAC means to her organization. |
View the whole video, Opening Career Pathways:
Download the video here. (Right-click and select "Save Link As...")