Messages from WIB Chair and Executive Director

Letter from the Chair | Chad Kulas

2020 was an unprecedented year with many challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and historic levels of business closure and unemployment. It also brought opportunities for innovation and re-imagining ways to more equitably serve those most impacted.

Through these challenges and opportunities, the Workforce Innovation Board (WIB) of Ramsey County recognizes the importance of partnerships and embraces the chance to uplift the great work being done by our community partners. We are fortunate to have a highly engaged board that is committed to supporting and leveraging Ramsey County’s dynamic workforce ecosystem to rebuild a local economy that includes everyone. One of the ways the WIB has responded to changing market conditions is by launching a Tech Committee to help us better understand the need for tech talent and address the digital equity divide that exists in our community.

I am extremely proud of the accomplishments highlighted throughout this report. Thank you to our partners, members and staff for accepting the challenges of 2020 and uplifting our collective efforts on behalf of job seekers and businesses in our community.

Chad Kulas
Chair, Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County
Executive Director, Midway Chamber of Commerce

Letter from the Executive Director | Ling Becker

2020 was a year unlike any other. County staff and our partners pivoted in amazing ways to ensure those in need of workforce services continued to receive vital supports. We assisted residents who needed employment supports by phone, virtually and in-person when public health guidance allowed. Throughout the year, we continued to connect residents to critical resources during record unemployment.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected those working in the retail, hospitality and construction industries. It also disproportionately impacted residents who were younger, less educated and members of Black, Indigenous or People of Color communities. Through Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, Workforce Solutions deployed nearly $12.5 million to support in-person career labs, digital equity initiatives and community-based contracts to support impacted job seekers.

The pandemic amplified economic disparities in our community and demonstrated the need to focus not only on recovery but on re-imagining a more inclusive economy. As we look to the future, we will be guided by Ramsey County’s Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan as a roadmap to propel our County and partners toward opportunity, prosperity and well-being for all Ramsey County residents and employers.

Ling Becker 
Executive Director, Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County
Director, Ramsey County Workforce Solutions