U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Representative Tim Walz announced Thursday more than $12.6 million for targeted job training for Rochester Community and Technical College, Minnesota State College–Southeast Technical, and Riverland Community College in Albert Lea. The grants are part of the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative.

The TAACCCT initiative is designed to support partnerships between community colleges and employers to assist dislocated workers who are changing careers. The program is designed to equip workers with specific skill sets that are in demand by critical industries such as advanced manufacturing, health care, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition, the program is designed to collect data on student outcomes, building knowledge about which strategies are most effective at placing graduates in high quality jobs.