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Minnesota State urges scaling contract training and statewide marketing to grow enrollment and revenue
Summary
System and campus leaders told trustees that continuing education and contract training (CECT) can be a revenue and workforce pipeline tool, while system marketing campaigns aim to boost applications and visits. Trustees heard campus examples of profitable customized training, noncredit‑to‑credit pathways and statewide ad campaigns.
MINNEAPOLIS — Trustees heard June 18 that Minnesota State is pushing two linked strategies to support campuses: expand continuing education and contract training to serve employers and incumbent workers, and invest in system‑level marketing to drive enrollment.
Noelle Haughton, Minnesota State’s chief marketing and communications officer, summarized a system campaign, Minnesota State Promise, that packages tuition, program breadth and student supports. System marketing has drawn large online traffic — presenters reported more than 400,000 landing‑page views and 16 million ad impressions across channels — and system events such as Minnesota State Week (a June application push that waives application fees) and an October “Minnesota State Month” focused on visits and applications.
Hennepin Technical College and Dakota County Technical & Community College presented contract‑training case studies. Dakota County officials said customized training now accounts for the majority of their business development and that a focused business plan generated a net profit of roughly $900,000 in fiscal 2024. DCTC described partnerships that expanded CDL training, workforce mobility programs and micro‑credential pilots with local employers.
Minneapolis College’s continuing education director described mental‑health talent‑pipeline work that used industry funding to build a three‑part education pathway; the curriculum is being cross‑listed with other campuses to scale statewide. Presenters emphasized converting noncredit and employer training into credit pathways where possible, and using the Learn association best practices (a national contracting and continuing education group) to professionalize contract training.
Noelle Haughton said system marketing combines testimonials and data‑driven messages about affordability and program variety. She cited two campaigns: Minnesota State Promise (positioning the system) and “Value of Higher Education” (testimonials and statistics about earnings uplift) and reported that Minnesota State Week has produced a 65% increase in applications during the targeted week since its inception.
Why it matters: Trustees heard campuses can both serve local employers through customized training and use system marketing to increase awareness and applications. Presenters cautioned that contract training is not a universal budget fix — skilled customized training requires investment, expertise, and often upfront equipment or staffing — but can be an agile revenue and regional engagement tool.
Ending: System leaders asked trustees to continue supporting professional development for continuing education staff, expanded use of the Learn organization resources, and increased collaboration among campuses to scale successful employer‑sector programs.
Speakers quoted in this article spoke at the June 18 Minnesota State meeting and include their full names and roles in the speaker list.
