ST. PAUL — U.S. Sen. Al Franken hits the airwaves with the first TV ad of his re-election campaign.

Franken’s 30-second spot begins running statewide Tuesday. It promotes Franken’s efforts to help train workers for skilled jobs. It features the owner of Top Tool, a small manufacturing company in Blaine, who talks about her struggle to find qualified people to fill job openings.

The Democratic senator introduced a bill last year that invests in public-private partnerships between manufacturers and community and technical colleges.

Federal Election Commission filings show Franken’s campaign is spending nearly $146,000 on the ads, which run through Monday.