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Committee hears $400,000 annual request for Saint Paul youth workforce hub 30000 Feet
Summary
House File 9‑89 would appropriate $400,000 in each year of the biennium to 30000 Feet, a Saint Paul nonprofit that operates youth apprenticeship, paid internships and training; the committee laid the measure over for inclusion in an omnibus bill.
Members of the House Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Policy and Finance Committee heard testimony on House File 9‑89, which would appropriate $400,000 in the first year and $400,000 in the second year to 30000 Feet, a Saint Paul nonprofit that runs a new facility offering workforce training, apprenticeships and paid internships for youth.
Representative Collins, an author of the bill, said the organization’s new facility (opening in June) will allow 30000 Feet to host more participants and expand programming. Vanessa Young, director of programs at 30000 Feet, told the committee the organization has used prior funds to provide wages and direct staff support for an earn‑and‑learn program that served more than 200 youth annually and that demand currently outstrips capacity; she said the group maintains a wait list.
Sixteen‑year‑old participant Michael Maceda described how the program provided a stable after‑school workplace, coding instruction, visits to employer HealthPartners and help with interviewing and postsecondary planning. Representative Hollins, sponsor of the bill, emphasized the program’s role on Saint Paul’s East Side and the organization’s work serving students who face barriers to employment.
The chair laid House File 9‑89 over for further consideration in a future omnibus bill.
