Minnesota partners are breaking ground on a new regional training center where disadvantaged populations can ready themselves for good-paying jobs with union support.

A construction kickoff event for the Rise Up Center in Minneapolis was held May 4. Officials said it will be a hub for people of color and working families to access apprenticeships and job training opportunities in the construction, service, food and green energy sectors.

Bernie Burnham, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, said young people coming from households where working two to three jobs is the norm need to know they, too, can achieve stable and prosperous careers.

"These are tough times in our world," Burnham acknowledged. "I think opportunities like this are only going to increase the strength of our young folks who are coming up into the working world."

Burnham pointed out there is often an awareness gap for people from historically disadvantaged neighborhoods to learn about existing career programs. She noted the center will be welcome to people from all over Minnesota but many participants are likely to hail from Uptown Minneapolis. It will be located in the former YWCA building, serving communities still recovering from the uprising after George Floyd's murder.

The project is coming together with a mix of private and public funds, and several unions will oversee its launch and operation. Burnham emphasized it coincides with renewed enthusiasm for organized labor, as affordability issues cast doubt on achieving the American dream.

"People are aware that if you get a union job, you have a chance to get a higher income, you have a chance to have good benefits and healthcare to take care of your family," Burnham stressed. "(To) get that opportunity to live the life that people believe we should all be promised here in the United States."

Numbers have fluctuated since 2020, but Minnesota's overall percentage of workers represented by a union increased to nearly 16% last year. Recent spikes followed decades of declines. Meanwhile, the training center is scheduled to open in the spring of next year and will feature gathering spaces for community members and local nonprofits.

Source: Public News Service