DEED provides funding to support young Minnesotans with disabilities in the workforce

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced that it has received a federal grant to prepare low-income youth and youth ages 16-24 who have disabilities for complete post-secondary education and successfully transition into the workforce.

Minnesota is one of four states to receive this grant.

The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy awarded $12 million to DEED through an Equitable Transition Model (ETM) grant that will support a five-year intensive services program case management, including career pathway programming that begins with career exploration activities and progressions toward credentialing, skill acquisition, work-based learning, paid work experiences, and, ultimately, jobs in the adult labor force.

“With unemployment near record lows, Minnesota employers are looking for new ways to find workers who can fill positions in high-growth industries,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “Preparing youth with disabilities to thrive in the workforce is part of DEED’s mission to power Minnesota’s economic growth, for everyone.”

DEED’s program will include targeted outreach to youth participating in the Social Security Administration’s ‘Ticket to Work’ program, which helps ensure participants continue to receive benefits and services as they explore opportunities toward financial independence and self-sufficiency.

“For youth with disabilities in Minnesota, education and employment outcomes lag behind their non-disabled counterparts. This is particularly true for young people with disabilities from communities of color and Indigenous communities,” said Marc Majors, DEED Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development. Post-secondary credentials are a gateway to economic stability, so innovative strategies are needed to support these young people in achieving equitable outcomes.

DEED is partnering with the PACER Center in the Twin Cities metro area and four Greater Minnesota workforce development organizations – Focused Employment Programs in Rural Minnesota, Job and Training Services of Central Minnesota, the Private Industry Council of Southwest Minnesota and South-Central Workforce Council – as service providers. These five partners cover 53 Minnesota counties.

The program is expected to serve 237 case-managed youth in Greater Minnesota and 310 parents and families through the PACER Center.

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