Minnesota State Centers of Excellence

Minnesota State hosts eight Centers of Excellence - each serving a major industry that faces serious workforce challenges. The centers collaborate with industry and educators to attract and prepare students for success in high-demand careers.

Strategically located throughout the state, the Minnesota State Centers of Excellence drive workforce innovation through education and industry collaboration - and provide thought leadership on workforce development in their respective industries.

Engaging Industry

With our current workforce challenges, employers that engage college students during the course of their studies - and promote curriculum that will make employees more productive on day one - will have a distinct advantage.

The Minnesota State Centers of Excellence offer a wide variety of meaningful ways to connect with those students and the educators who are preparing them for life and career. Those opportunities include:

Serving on the leadership council for the center focused on your industry
Welcoming STEM and career camp attendees to your facilities
Providing input about and helping develop curriculum and certifications to better educate future employees
Offering apprenticeship, internship and other workbased learning opportunities

For more information, contact the Center (or Centers) listed below that serve your industry.

Enhancing Education

The Centers of Excellence are helping to enhance education at every level - from K-12 through postsecondary and beyond.

For middle and high school educators, we provide:

Career camps and tours of industry
Mobile classrooms and career expo trailers
Free or low-cost career-preparedness and STEM curriculum
Educate the Educator courses, camps and online training

For postsecondary educators, we offer:

Access to grants and industry resources for educators willing to enhance current curriculum to meet industry and student career placement objectives
Assistance in attaining and maintaining licensing and certification
Strategies for increasing enrollment in specific programs

For workplace and workforce training center educators, we offer career paths and educational options that:

Allow current employees and job seekers gain the skills, credentials, and degrees that can lead to higher earning power
Can be used to onboard new employees, apprentices, interns and work-study candidates

For more information, contact the Center (or Centers) listed below about resources you can employ in your educational setting.

Inspiring Students

The Centers of Excellence offer many opportunities for students to learn applied skills in multiple career fields while getting a chance to see how these skills are employed in the real world.

For middle and high school students, we:

Offer career camps and robotics competitions that provide hands-on fun and experiences that show how STEM skills can be used in real-world jobs.
Develop career pathways that allow students to earn while they learn - from diplomas and in-demand certifications, to 2-year, 4-year and post-graduate degrees.
Host tours of manufacturing, career expos and other events that help students see the wide variety of careers available to them in specific industries.

For more information, contact the Center (or Centers) listed below that interest you to explore all the available opportunities and career paths in each industry.