ST. CLOUD - U.S. Senator Al Franken was in St. Cloud today (Monday) meeting with local manufacturers, educators, and work force officials.

He was gathering input for a new bill he's introducing called the "Community College to Career Fund Act".

Franken says hundreds of thousands of jobs around the country are currently unfilled because employers can't find qualified workers -- also known as the "skills gap".

Franken says, if the bill passes, it would create a competitive grant program that would fund partnerships between businesses and two-year colleges, such as the St. Cloud Technical and Community College.

Today's event was held at Central McGowan Incorporated, a distributor of welding supplies and welding products.

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