A US Dept of Labor-ETA grant funded this project.  Internships were emphasized with non-profit employers.  Target area was primarily Traill county in North Dakota.  This project took place from 2006 to 2008.

“Building Rural Workforce Opportunities” project

The purpose of this 2003-2005 project was to "retain graduates of Mayville State University (or other colleges)" in the Traill, Steele, Griggs county region.  It was funded from a US DOL-ETA workforce training grant.

The project utilized Entrepreneurship Training, Experiential Learning, Project Management, and On-the-Job Training. Participants were college students and recent graduates. Partners were the MSU Division of Business and Computer Information Systems, businesses already in the 3-county region, and businesses seeking to expand or startup in the region.

We assisted: College students and recent graduates that want to start their own business in the target area; Businesses in the target area that can expand their college-educated workforce through the project’s training assistance; and Businesses located anywhere that want to expand to or begin new operations in the target area.


RRT Project

Fifty (50) rural North Dakota citizens successfully completed training through the RRT project (our goal was 30)!

Rural Revitalization through Technology Project GOAL: To train rural North Dakotans for Information Technology jobs. Administered by the Traill County Technology Center (TCTC)

In 2001, Green Thumb, Inc. (now Experience Works), a nonprofit employment and training organization, made funding available to train North Dakotans for information technology (IT) jobs. The Rural Revitalization through Technology (RRT) program encouraged economic development and employment in rural areas, with an underlying goal of trying to curb outward migration from these small communities. This program was designed to address IT skills of workers in rural areas (under 5,000 population), as well as encourage participation by metropolitan-based businesses that wanted to outsource or expand to rural areas.

Employers received financial assistance with training costs and workers had opportunities to gain much-needed training and employment. Partnerships were formed with businesses that were:

* In need of skilled workers in technology applications in order to grow and compete in the global marketplace
* Open to relocating various business functions to rural areas or would hire workers to telecommute from their homes in rural North Dakota
* Willing to hire newly trained workers completing training in IT skills
* In need of more workers skilled in technology, or had current employees in danger of losing their jobs because of the lack of IT skills

A variety of training and outplacement services were available through this project, including:

* Customized training conducted with a commitment by the employer to employ the trainees upon successful completion of training.
* Training of current employees who were at risk of losing their current employment because of the lack in IT skills.
* On-the-job training, where the employer hired and trained the individual and was reimbursed for training costs.
* Entrepreneur training for self-employed individuals working as contractors under outsourcing agreements.

The RRT project was funded by the US Department of Labor through a grant to Green Thumb, Inc. (now Experience Works). Green Thumb contracted with the Traill County Technology Center to coordinate the statewide project. The contract was fully funded with federal dollars.