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Mind the Gap asks Legislature to fund expanded training, CDL and childcare worker pathways
Summary
Sen. Champion presented SF 2167 seeking funding for Mind the Gap to scale CDL training, work readiness, financial empowerment and childcare worker training; committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion.
Sen. Champion presented Senate File 2167 on behalf of Mind the Gap, a Minnetonka-based workforce development nonprofit that serves unemployed and underemployed adults in the seven-county metro area.
Program and outcomes: David E. Johnson (CEO, appearing virtually) and Dina Zubalake (CEO, in person) described recent growth after a prior appropriation that supported 37 participants in 2023 and 115 participants in 2024; Zubalake said more than 270 individuals had applied since May 2024. The organization’s Driving Beyond Barriers CDL program reported a 78 percent employment rate for participants who obtained CDLs, with an average starting wage reported at $28 per hour.
Scope and request: The bill asks for a new appropriation to continue and expand services, including CDL training, an EAGLE work-readiness program, early-education/childcare worker training and holistic supports such as housing navigation and financial empowerment.
Committee action: Mind the Gap materials in the committee packet included employer partners and program details. The committee laid SF 2167 over for possible inclusion.
