Lake Superior College News Releases

Originally published in the Outlook Edition of the Duluth News Tribune on 3/23/08. Written by Janet Blixt.

Lake Superior College has been awarded two Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) grants totaling $489,181 to provide customized workforce training programs over a three-year period for St. Luke’s and Northstar Aerospace of Duluth.

“We’re pleased to partner with St. Luke’s and Northstar Aerospace. Both healthcare and aviation are growing industries in the Arrowhead region and we plan to support their workforce needs with this intensive training,” said Steve Wagner, LSC’s vice president of workforce development and customized training.

Lake Superior College will provide training to eighty Northstar employees in machine operation and machining. Northstar Aerospace specializes in aircraft seats, precision machined components, parts and assemblies for the aerospace industry. The training program will compliment the company’s plan to develop a career pathway program that incorporates strategic recruitment of entry level employees, career laddering of existing employees through skill development, and the development of a customized training program that teaches the knowledge, skills and abilities that Northstar employees need to be the best in the industry. “We want to provide our employees with the tools and training to produce the highest quality machined components, parts and assemblies for the aerospace industry,” said Kevin C. Snyder, vice president of human resources for Northstar Aerospace. “Receiving the MJSP grant represents the cornerstone of Northstar’s six strategic employment and training initiatives running concurrently over the next five years.”

Lake Superior College will partner with St. Luke’s hospital and clinics to develop a customized Lean Healthcare Training Program. St. Luke’s is a comprehensive health care system with more than 2,200 employees serving a 17-county region in three states.

Over the course of the three-year grant, 192 employees will learn the Lean Health principles and share them across the health system. “We are excited to partner with Lake Superior College through the MJSP grant to implement Lean Healthcare principles at St. Luke’s. Lean Healthcare gives us a common approach to improving processes for the care of our patients through the St. Luke’s system,” said John Strange, president and chief executive officer of St. Luke’s.

Health care experts around the country are embracing the Lean Health concept, which was originally based on the Toyota production system for improving manufacturing processes. The process eliminates unnecessary steps and works to provide the right resources at the right time for patient care and employee satisfaction. Several years ago this same model was modified and implemented in the healthcare industry. Lake Superior College has already partnered with Itasca Community College and three other colleges in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to develop the core of this curriculum.

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership acts as a catalyst between business and education in developing cooperative training projects that provides new job training or retraining of existing employees. MJSP grants are given to educational institutions with businesses as partners. Grants are awarded by the MJSP Board to educational institutions who partner with businesses to develop new job training or retraining for existing employees. All training projects pair at least one public/private accredited Minnesota educational institution and one business. The program is part of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the state’s principal economic development agency.

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 4,800 students enrolled this spring semester, LSC is northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also a leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota

They have names like Hammer Time, Junk Yard Dog and Cow Catcher. They’re Battle Bots, robots designed for combat, and they’ll be doing battle at Lake Superior College (LSC) on May 16. Lake Superior College will host the First Annual Northeast Robotics Competition on Wednesday, May 16. The event will feature 15-pound combat robots competing in a 12-foot by 12-foot Plexiglas arena.

Colleges and high schools from across the state have been invited to compete. Teams from the University of Minnesota, Lake Superior College, Pine City High School, and Proctor High School are registered to participate.The event will take place in the Commons at Lake Superior College’s Trinity Road campus. Competition starts at 10 a.m. and continues until a champion is crowned. The event is free and open to the public.

According to LSC instructor Mike Koppy, robot competitions have proven to be an excellent way to interest students in manufacturing and engineering programs. Earlier this year, students enrolled in LSC’s Integrated Manufacturing Program built robots designed to pick up, transport, and unload eggs, without breaking them. “Students took the challenge very seriously, and they learned a lot,” Koppy reports. The competition is sponsored by the Midwest Robotics League and LSC Integrated Manufacturing Program.

Photo caption: Lake Superior College students (L to R) John Hendrickson, Mark Tero Florentz and Matt Hjelden discuss modifications to “Stinger,” their battle bot.

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 4,800 students enrolled this spring semester, LSC is northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.

Seven of Lake Superior College’s (LSC) Integrated Manufacturing students have won medals at the recent Minnesota SkillsUSA competition.

Matt Hjelden of Cloquet won a first place gold medal in the Job Demo B category. A team made up of Russ Young, Hermantown; Mark Johnson, Proctor; Mark Shatto, Duluth; and Nick Kuras, Saginaw earned a silver medal in the Chapter Display category. Mark Florentz, Knife River, and Travis Hanson, Duluth, teamed to earn silver for their Promotional Bulletin Board.

As a gold medalist, Hjelden qualifies for national competition later this year.

The three-day event, which took place March 23 through 25, was headquartered in Bloomington, with events held at various locations across the Twin Cities. Nearly 1,000 students competed in 70 events. Nine LSC students attended the Minnesota SkillsUSA Conference, participating in competitions focused on skills, team building, and leadership.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry representatives, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. It helps individual students excel by preparing them for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. It was formerly know as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).

With more than 4,500 students enrolled this spring, Lake Superior College is Northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education and customized training for business and industry.

Pictured (left to right )
front row: Mark Johnson, Mart Florentz, Travis Hanson, and Matt Hjelden;
back row: Nick Kuras, Mark Shatto, and Russ Young