Klobuchar visit focuses on Youth Skills Training

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar got a chance Friday to see one of Owatonna’s newest manufacturing facilities and talk to Owatonna High students who are already working there.

Her goal was to learn more about the Youth Skills Training program. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry initiative, first signed into law in 2017, provides students age 16 and older a chance to get real-world experience and training through partnerships with local businesses.

Career Pathways Navigator Brian Coleman said Climate by Design International (CDI) was the first manufacturer to join the program, followed by Wenger Corp., which offers about 20 options for students, and Advanced Coil, a smaller shop with opportunities to learn welding.

Coleman said about 90 students are involved in the program, up from 30 when it launched.

“It's been so awesome for our students to have an opportunity to increase their learning of the subject areas they're taking in school, to be able to actually apply it in real world, real time, learn how manufacturing works, and learn if this is the career path that they want to choose,” Coleman said.

Coleman told Klobuchar about OHS’ signing day for students who decide to move into the workforce after graduation. Employers then support those students in whatever further education they need.

“Climate By Design, I believe, last year brought on nine students directly after high school, which is a record,” he said.

Missy Koch, who is the workforce coordinator for SteeleCoWorks, oversees the signing days. She makes connections with industry and helps students find the work experience or job shadowing.

“Sometimes students come to us with a handful of ideas from dentistry to manufacturing to being a truck driver, so it’s giving them that opportunity to explore and bring speakers in for them to visit with and have kind of that one-on-one conversation, and then find employers that are willing to have them come and work for them.”

Klobuchar said students must find that option appealing, given the high costs of education. The program also provides an incentive for students to stay in the area after graduation.

“It’s such an improvement over how we used to view this, because at least they know they have this option,” she added.

Klobuchar asked about the area’s workforce in general. Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz said the new high school, with its focus on “training the workforce for the future,” has become a recruiting tool for the community.

CDI’s Director Of Manufacturing Operations Patrick McDermott said the company has about 220 employees and could continue to grow. He said CDI was looking for people last year, when Rise Modular in Owatonna furloughed employees.

“(Vice President of Operations) Mike (Peterson) picked up the phone and talked to them,” he said, “and we have approximately 40 Rise Modular employees working for us on a contract.”

Peterson explained that CDI manufactures large equipment with a focus on desiccants that take moisture out of the air. As an example, he said, one client that manufactures lithium batteries has a need for space with 1% humidity in its process.

Tom and Sue Peterson started the company in 1989 with contracted labor in a 10,000-square-foot factory, then moved in 2006 into 66,000 square feet.

The current facility, which opened six weeks ago, is about 217,000 square feet, consolidating four different locations.

“Our goal is to be the employer of choice in the community, and we wanted to put a lot of things in this building that… employees are excited to be here,” McDermott said.

Of the 220 employees, about 130 are manufacturing and about 100 are in engineering.

During a tour of the building, Klobuchar got a look at large conference rooms, exercise rooms, and spaces for collaboration, as well as the manufacturing floor, where she spoke with employees and saw the large equipment CDI makes.