Printing Industry Midwest, the not-for-profit trade organization representing the Midwest’s leading print service providers, announced that through its advocacy efforts, the employment position of “press operator” has been identified as a high-growth, high-wage occupation by the Minnesota PIPELINE Program at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

As of April 1, print service providers with Minnesota-located operations will be eligible to apply for PIPELINE grants up to $6,000 per trainee. Grant applications must be submitted by May 17, 2019. These dual-training grants are available through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and provide funding for employers to create new and expand existing dual-training initiatives. The training curriculum for press operators will be provided by Printing Industry Midwest through its new Production Technician Apprentice Program now in development, scheduled for release late summer 2019.

The Minnesota PIPELINE Program (Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience) recognizes the importance of the press operator position to the more than 1,000 print service providers in Minnesota and to those seeking careers in the $7 billion Minnesota print industry. PIPELINE supports employers in creating or enhancing a competency based dual-training approach where workers receive a combination of related instruction strategically paired with on-the-job training.

Printing Industry Midwest, www.pimw.org/employment