Minnesota State college students have the opportunity to get $2,500 or more through workforce-development scholarships this fall.
The Minnesota Legislature set aside the money for the scholarships, stemming from a pilot program it approved in 2017. At some locations, such as Century College and St. Cloud Technical & Community College, contributions from business and community partners have boosted the scholarships even more.
The scholarships are encouraging for students who previously didn’t think college was an option, said Joe Mulford, president of Pine Technical and Community College in Pine City.
“This scholarship helped them realize that college can be affordable and what an important step it is in getting started in a career,” Mulford said. His school award a scholarship to each of the 14 high schools in its area and used community contributions to add $1,000 to each of them.
FILLING HIGH-DEMAND OCCUPATIONS
The $1 million pilot program approved by the Legislature in 2017 gave nearly 400 Workforce Development Scholarships to students during the 2018-19 school year at any of the 30 Minnesota State community or technical colleges. They targeted students in high-demand fields such as advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care services, information technology, early childhood education and transportation.
“Workforce Development Scholarships have proven to be an effective tool for attracting students into these fields and helping them find a path toward a satisfying and well-paying career,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State.
Scholarships are still available for fall 2019. Interested students should contact a Minnesota State college admissions office or financial aid office. Details can be found on the system’s website at minnstate.edu/stories/wds.
Students are eligible to reapply if they have completed two academic terms with a minimum of nine credits each and have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
YEARS AHEAD
During the 2019 legislative session, it was decided that $2 million in scholarships would be available in fiscal 2020 and a total of $6 million in 2021. Also, in 2021, students receiving the scholarship from a state college can continue to apply if they decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree at one of the seven Minnesota State universities.
“We are grateful to the Legislature and the governor for this opportunity, and we look forward to awarding these scholarships to help meet Minnesota’s workforce needs,” Malhotra said.