Tag: economic development

Is it realistic for rural areas to close the wage gap? Probably not. By: Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher Most of rural Minnesota is discussing ways to grow the labor force. Increasing the affordable housing stock and childcare capacity are two primary strategies being discussed at the legislature. One of the underlying issues that makes these ...

Our most recent research highlighted the importance career and technical education played in the Southwest’s region’s labor force. On this episode, Kelly Asche (Senior Researcher) chats with Eriann Faris, the Career and Technical Education Program Coordinator for Southwest West Central Services Cooperative and leads the Launching Your Future Today (LYFT) initiative. Eriann explains how LYFT ...

On February 7th, Sourcewell hosted the Center for Rural Policy to broadcast a presentation and discussion highlighting the Center’s most recent research. In part 3, Senior Researcher Kelly Asche presents research about how to change the narrative among rural high school students that they must leave their rural communities to find career opportunities.  

On February 7th, Sourcewell hosted the Center for Rural Policy and Development to broadcast a presentation and discussion highlighting the Center’s most recent research. In part 1, Senior Researcher Kelly Asche presents data highlighting the low unemployment rates and the decline in people participating in the labor force which is leading to all-time high job ...

Since 2020, Interconnected has been helping bridge the divide between urban and rural communities in Minnesota by discussing shared challenges and opportunities, and exploring how to design a future and systems that incorporate the unique needs of communities across the state. We kicked off season 3 of this series on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 12 noon ...

As labor force demand increases, more attention is being given to our high school graduates – where are they going and how do we keep more of them in our rural regions now that we have a plethora of opportunities available? This webinar provides an overview of our research report tracking high school graduates in ...

The data show that the choices students make in high school and that paths they take after high school can predictably guide them to specific states of meaningful workforce participation later on. November 2023 By Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher | Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations For a print version of this report, click ...

By Marnie Werner Vice President of Research Click for a printable version of this report. According to a Star Tribune article in January 2022, “For the broader Midwest, inflation was 7.5% in December, far above the 5.9% rate in the more heavily populated northeastern states.” Inflation wasn’t even consistent around the state: “Rochester; St. Cloud; ...

By Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research April 26, 2023 Click here for a condensed two-page summary of this report.  Click here for a printable version of this report. Click here to register for our upcoming webinar on Wednesday, May 3, 2:30 pm. In January, Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa was the only reporter left at the St. Cloud ...