Get CareerWISE: Learn About In-Demand Area Jobs

By 2024, Minnesota is expected to have 400,000 jobs that go unfilled due to Baby Boomers retiring and a shortage of trained workers. Two-thirds of these jobs will require education or training beyond high school, but not necessarily a college degree.

The City of Fairmont is working proactively to bridge the imminent workforce skills gap with creative solutions to ensure current and future talent needs are met. CareerWISE is a resource to educate parents and students about key information on current workforce trends and in-demand careers in Southwestern Minnesota. 

A CareerWISE flyer was developed through a partnership between the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce and Fairmont Economic Development Authority (FEDA) as part of the collaborative Fairmont Area Life initiative, which seeks to attract and retain a strong local workforce.

The intent is to inform high school students and their parents about area in-demand jobs and their hourly wages. Information about employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement programs, on-the-job training, apprenticeship and internship opportunities are also available.

“My hope is that the CareerWISE program gives our Martin County students entering the workforce great career options right here at home and in turn it gives our employers an opportunity to keep our best talent in our community while filling valuable positions in the process,” says Ned Koppen, president of the Fairmont Chamber of Commerce.

Koppen says the collaboration is a great example of different entities working together for a common goal in the community. It started with the Chamber and FEDA and has the full support of local school administrators.

Joe Brown, superintendent of Fairmont Area Schools, says the school has been happy to participate in this effort. The flyer has been distributed with high school football, volleyball and other event programs where students and parents from Martin County and neighboring counties can access it.

“In order for our community to succeed in the future, it’s vital to collaborate together. Even though we’re in an agricultural area of the state with lots of farms and silos, from a policy standpoint we need to break down silos. We’re one county,” says Brown.

Fairmont Economic Development Coordinator Linsey Preuss says she’s pleased with the results of this partnership and out-of-the-box thinking for area workforce development. She notes that additional CareerWISE literature will be developed to focus on specific sectors like health care and manufacturing.

“Businesses see the value in this effort and want to participate to highlight that there are jobs here,” says Preuss.

Area Opportunities

Some area business train employees, offer job shadowing or reimburse for tuition expenses. The CareerWISE flyer outlines some of these opportunities.

The Fairmont Economic Development Authority (FEDA) coordinates and administers economic development initiatives for the City of Fairmont, MN. It serves as a comprehensive and premier resource for businesses seeking to startup, grow and locate in the area. FEDA’s priorities include business retention and expansion, financing, workforce development, recruitment, site development, housing and business startup. FEDA prides itself as a growing resource for Fairmont, MN news.