Five Central Minnesota Businesses Awarded Dual Training Grants

UNDATED (WJON News) -- Five Central Minnesota businesses are part of 76 organizations across the state which will share nearly $5-million to train employees.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has announced the 2026 recipients of the 2026 Dual Training Grant program. It allows companies in high-demand industries to fund dual training programs in areas like health care, advanced manufacturing, information technology, and more.

The local grants include $150,000 for CentraCare in St. Cloud, more than $46,000 for Ichor Systems in Sauk Rapids, $47,600 to Two Rivers Enterprises in Holdingford, $66,000 for UMC in Monticello, and $52,800 for Annandale Health & Community Services.

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach says, "Earn-and-learn approaches like Dual-Training are successfully bringing together structured on-the-job training with related technical instruction to achieve economic success for workers and businesses".

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