By Susie Peterson, Voice from the Chamber

As the local advocate for the business community, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce wishes to express our support for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) system, specifically, Riverland Community College.

Riverland Community College has been, and continues to be, an integral part of the economic success and growth of our community. Continued state and local support for this Greater Minnesota gem is essential for our community&8217;s continued success.

Workforce training, liberal arts transfer courses, developmental education, farm management programs and ESL classes enhance our residents&8217; ability to prosper. To continue to compete in today&8217;s world economy, we must have an educated and flexible workforce.

As explained by Thomas Friedman in his book, &8220;The World is Flat,&8221; &8220;Individuals have to think globally to thrive, or at least survive. This requires not only a new level of technical skills but also a certain mental flexibility, self-motivation, and psychological mobility.&8221;

Riverland recognizes this challenge and works with our member businesses to ensure that it provides relevant workforce development and education programs.

We are partners in a statewide Chamber program called &8220;Grow Minnesota.&8221; In this program we visit local businesses and ask them, &8220;How can we help your business be successful in Minnesota?&8221;

The results are compiled at the State Chamber to help us understand our members&8217; concerns.

The statewide results are released in an annual report. This year&8217;s report identified workforce availability as one of the top challenges for economic growth in Minnesota.

This report further disclosed that two out of five Greater Minnesota employers had trouble finding specialized workers. The report states, &8220;The supply of precision production and specialty workers is a growing statewide challenge.

Without relief, it will slow economic growth in Minnesota.&8221;

Riverland is already working to fill the specialized needs of our local businesses by providing much needed specialized training programs. These programs include OSHA compliance and industrial safety training, CPR/first aid, diversity awareness, lean health, food safety and security, customer service and emergency response training.

Local companies such as Minnesota Corrugated Box, Mrs. Gerry&8217;s Kitchen, Ventura Foods, Albert Lea Medical Center, Crest Services, Freeborn-Mower Electric Co-op, Edwards Manufacturing, Albert Lea Select Foods, Albert Lea Public Schools and Bridon Cordage have already benefited from a Riverland training program.

Riverland was also recently recognized nationally for its Auto service technology program again being chosen by the Auto Industry Planning Council as the national runner-up for the &8220;Award of Excellence.&8221;

In addition to receiving a plaque, silver loving cup and $1,000 certificate from Snap-on Tools, the program received a 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T from DaimlerChrysler and a 2006 Honda Accord from American Honda Corporation, guaranteeing that the students have an opportunity to learn using the latest in automotive technology.

Given our partnership with Riverland, we are asking for increased, sustainable support and funding for the MNSCU system. The state needs to help keep tuition affordable for our students and provide funds that the school can leverage for its brick and infrastructure needs. Our members need Riverland to be successful for them to be successful.

Susie Petersen is the executive director of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce.