Initiative Quarterly Magazine

The Magazine IQ Team Current Issue Archives

Winter 2011

2011:

Who's hiring who?

In 2009, IQ examined how the recession changed the futures of thousands of central Minnesota's small businesses and dislocated workers. This time, we're looking ahead to economic recovery in 2011.

Which regional industries are showing signs of life? What's next for construction and manufacturing? How have employee skills and employer expectations changed? How are secondary and higher education responding?

This issue of IQ takes a bold look at the growing jobs, changing skills, and education innovations of 2011.

> President's Note

		Who's Hiring Who The jobs of 2011 and beyond. Is this a rebound or just a blip?” That’s the question Kent Gilmore asks whenever Nahan Printing considers hiring more staff in response to resurgent business. It’s also one reason why taking on new full-time employees is such a difficult decision for central Minnesota employers...

		Digital Divide More jobs require computer skills, but many Minnesotans still can't find the "on" button. Julie Ball spent more than six years varnishing, staining and finishing exterior doors at Bayer Built Woodworks in Belgrade. The 58-year-old married mother of two planned on staying with the company until retirement. In January 2010, she was laid off...

		Train Stations Six educational experiments, transformations and handshakes that are getting workers back on track. A college diploma once served as a golden ticket, practically guaranteeing a good job with a salary to match. Times, and conventional wisdom, have changed. The jobless rate for college graduates under age 25 is twice as high as it was just three years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

		Jump Start A new certificate takes the guesswork out of hiring. In the 21st Century jobmarket of ever-morphing positions and technology, gauging three simple skills can save time and money on hiring decisions. The bottom line? It’s not about what applicants know at the time of the job interview. It’s about discerning whether they can learn, find and solve...

		Re-assembly Required What is the future of manufacturing and construction?

		Unemployed to Entrepreneur More displaced workers are becoming their own bosses.

		How (and Why) to be a Lifelong Learner In a tight economy, even people with secure jobs can't rest on their laurels.

		Brainiac An IQ & A with Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy and State Economist Tom Stinson

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Winter 2011

2011:

Who's hiring who?

Who's Hiring Who

Digital Divide

Train Stations

Jump Start