Funding to provide training at all levels at Sappi Paper Mill

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded a $350,000 grant from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to develop an in-house training system for employees of Sappi Fine Paper in Cloquet. The three-year project will support entry-level and advanced training for 560 employees at the paper mill.

“Minnesota’s forest products industry employs more than 40,000 Minnesotans and generates $10 billion for the state’s economy every year,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. “This critical workforce investment will strengthen Minnesota’s forest products industry and help advance the careers of hundreds of hardworking Minnesotans.”

“The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program continues to address a critical need for businesses that are in search of the right workers with the right skills,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. “Since 2011, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program has awarded $37.6 million to train 44,806 Minnesotans and has leveraged $76.6 million in private funding.”

Once trained to use the system, employees will have access to the technical information and documents needed to perform their jobs, information that often disappears when experienced, senior-level staff retires. Employees will also complete job task certification training modules needed for career advancement.

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) will work with Advanced Minnesota, a group of five custom training and continuing education programs in northeast Minnesota, to develop the Knowledge Management and Training System.

The system will accommodate different learning styles, including written, audio, video and diagrams, and will be accessible via computer stations and handheld tablets.

After using the system, employees will be interviewed and demonstrate what they have learned. Based on the interviews, Sappi will identify remaining skills gaps and work with FDLTCC on future training.

Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston, is the leading producer and supplier of coated fine paper, pulp and release paper in the United States. Sappi Fine Paper’s Cloquet mill employs 698 employees.

For more information on the grant, contact Customized Training Director Jeannie Kermeen at 218-879-0741