Latest news with #Maplewood-based
22-07-2025
- Health
In temples and churches, sensory rooms remove barriers for neurodivergent worshipers
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) — From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and hand shakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy. That was the case for Lark Losardo's son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church's open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to self-regulate), he'd leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether. Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph's during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow, ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed. "It speaks volumes,' Lark Losardo told Religion News Service. 'Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message.' This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Across the U.S., families like Percy's who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings. Located in underutilized classrooms, storage spaces and former nurseries, these rooms vary in size and appearance, but are all designed to offer a calm, predictable environment that can help with nervous system regulation. Disability advocates say the rooms signal that a community prioritizes the needs of neurodivergent and disabled members. At St. Joseph's, the Rev. Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, isa natural extension of the parish's faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion — a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn't just given lip service. 'When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,' said Worth. On a 60-degree day in late March, the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr., another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room. Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — 'he leads me beside still waters' — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonprofit that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room's dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere. The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations. 'This sensory room has really changed everything for us,' said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph's parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. 'Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.' Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it's often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too. 'There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,' said Perkins. The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he officially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to finish and trains people on how to use them. 'It's catching on,' said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin's company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches. Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range. One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star. According to the Rev. Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy, the decision to create the room was prompted by the Holy Spirit. 'I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his 'littles,'' Binion told RNS. He felt God was urging him to support kids with 'diverse needs,'including autism. 'We decided through the direction of the Holy Spirit to say yes, and move forward in this kingdom assignment." It's not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary, a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones. The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, flexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue. 'Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created 'b'tzelem Elohim,' in the image of God,' said Klein Miller. 'And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and finding space for everybody in the community.' According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn't automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs. 'It's just one piece of a bigger machine that you're trying to build,' said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona. The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she first became a disability specialist roughly five years ago, feedback was invaluable. 'The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,' said Barlow, who is the parent of a child with autism. Based on the families' input, she created a sensory room in her meeting house with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door. "We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,' said Barlow. To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability. The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings. Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own. 'It feels like we're seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,' said Barlow. 'If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples … they need to be foremost in our mind.'
Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
In temples and churches, sensory rooms remove barriers for neurodivergent worshipers
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) — From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and hand shakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy. That was the case for Lark Losardo's son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church's open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to self-regulate), he'd leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether. Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph's during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow, ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed. 'It speaks volumes,' Lark Losardo told Religion News Service. 'Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Across the U.S., families like Percy's who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings. Located in underutilized classrooms, storage spaces and former nurseries, these rooms vary in size and appearance, but are all designed to offer a calm, predictable environment that can help with nervous system regulation. Disability advocates say the rooms signal that a community prioritizes the needs of neurodivergent and disabled members. At St. Joseph's, the Rev. Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, isa natural extension of the parish's faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion — a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn't just given lip service. 'When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,' said Worth. On a 60-degree day in late March, the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr., another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room. Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — 'he leads me beside still waters' — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonprofit that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room's dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere. The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations. 'This sensory room has really changed everything for us,' said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph's parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. 'Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.' Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it's often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too. 'There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,' said Perkins. The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he officially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to finish and trains people on how to use them. 'It's catching on,' said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin's company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches. Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range. One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star. According to the Rev. Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy, the decision to create the room was prompted by the Holy Spirit. 'I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his 'littles,'' Binion told RNS. He felt God was urging him to support kids with 'diverse needs,'including autism. 'We decided through the direction of the Holy Spirit to say yes, and move forward in this kingdom assignment.' It's not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary, a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones. The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, flexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue. 'Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created 'b'tzelem Elohim,' in the image of God,' said Klein Miller. 'And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and finding space for everybody in the community.' According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn't automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs. 'It's just one piece of a bigger machine that you're trying to build,' said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona. The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she first became a disability specialist roughly five years ago, feedback was invaluable. 'The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,' said Barlow, who is the parent of a child with autism. Based on the families' input, she created a sensory room in her meeting house with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door. 'We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,' said Barlow. To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability. The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings. Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own. 'It feels like we're seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,' said Barlow. 'If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples … they need to be foremost in our mind.'
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
In temples and churches, sensory rooms remove barriers for neurodivergent worshipers
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (RNS) — From organ blasts and incense to forced hugs and hand shakes, for folks who struggle to process sensory input, houses of worship can quickly feel anything but holy. That was the case for Lark Losardo's son Percy, who in 2017 began attending Catholic Mass with his family at age 7. Percy, who is autistic, was often overwhelmed by the Brooklyn church's open space, noise and crowds. At first, when he needed to move around or stim (engage in repetitive actions to self-regulate), he'd leave the service with a parent. Eventually, in part because of the barriers to attending as a family, they stopped coming altogether. Then, in 2020, the Losardos moved to Maplewood, New Jersey. After watching online services at a nearby Catholic parish called St. Joseph's during the pandemic, Lark Losardo learned in 2024 that the parish was opening a sensory room equipped with regulation tools, including a weighted blanket, touch pillow, ear defenders and sound machine. Thanks to that room, today Percy is back in the pews, using the room to regroup whenever needed. 'It speaks volumes,' Lark Losardo told Religion News Service. 'Not everyone needs this space, but just having it there sends a very clear message.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Across the U.S., families like Percy's who once thought worship was off-limits are returning to faith communities thanks to a small but growing number of sensory rooms in religious settings. Located in underutilized classrooms, storage spaces and former nurseries, these rooms vary in size and appearance, but are all designed to offer a calm, predictable environment that can help with nervous system regulation. Disability advocates say the rooms signal that a community prioritizes the needs of neurodivergent and disabled members. At St. Joseph's, the Rev. Jim Worth said the new sensory room, which opened in December, isa natural extension of the parish's faith values. To him, the room is evidence that inclusion — a principle Worth linked to Catholic social teaching — isn't just given lip service. 'When you put intentionality behind something, it makes a world of difference,' said Worth. On a 60-degree day in late March, the church, located on a quiet residential street, had a front stoop featuring three signs: one quoting Martin Luther King Jr., another quoting Pope Francis, and a third welcoming anyone in the community to visit the Still Waters Sensory Room. Named after the biblical Psalm 23 passage — 'he leads me beside still waters' — the sensory room was converted from an unused confessional. It was designed by Together We Bloom, a Maplewood-based nonprofit that helps make events and spaces more accessible. The room's dark indigo walls match the comfortable chair glider and beanbag, each contributing to the soothing atmosphere. The total cost of the room was under $2,000 and was largely paid for by church funds, plus some donations. 'This sensory room has really changed everything for us,' said Pavitra Makam, a St. Joseph's parishioner and mother of two neurodivergent kids. 'Being able to worship together has been the biggest thing for our family.' Jay Perkins, who has been in the sensory room business since 2009, said it's often parents in need of a safe, supportive space for their kids who are spearheading the movement to build sensory rooms. When his daughter began exhibiting signs of aggression at age 4, places like libraries (too quiet), playgrounds (too loud) and trampoline parks (too crowded) were inaccessible. That applied to his Episcopal church, too. 'There are so few places where special-needs kids with sensory integration disorders can enjoy it,' said Perkins. The lack of accessible spaces for his family inspired Perkins to begin building the kinds of rooms his daughter would thrive in. In 2018 he officially launched his company, The Sensory Room, which builds high-end, durable sensory rooms from start to finish and trains people on how to use them. 'It's catching on,' said Perkins, whose company built roughly a dozen rooms in 2022 and 80 in 2023. Though The Sensory Room specializes in schools, Perkin's company has also built rooms for a Broadway theater and an airport, and three in evangelical churches. Most of his custom rooms, he told RNS, start in the $20,000 range. One of those projects was the $35,000 transformation of a storage room into a state-of-the-art sensory room at Encounter Church, an evangelical congregation about 30 minutes from Dallas. Completed in February 2024, the renovation included interactive tactile and texture panels, bubble tubes, mirrors, new carpet, paint and electrical work, and an LED-star ceiling complete with a digital shooting star. According to the Rev. Chris Binion, who co-founded the church with his wife, Tracy, the decision to create the room was prompted by the Holy Spirit. 'I was in a season of prayer and fasting, and I felt like the Lord asked me how to take care of his 'littles,'' Binion told RNS. He felt God was urging him to support kids with 'diverse needs,'including autism. 'We decided through the direction of the Holy Spirit to say yes, and move forward in this kingdom assignment.' It's not just churches that are revamping spaces to focus on sensory integration. Temple Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in Atlanta, has adapted two of its rooms to help folks process sensory input. A former cry room just off the main sanctuary was altered to become the Shalom Sanctuary, a small space with a large window facing the main worship space equipped with fidget toys, beanbags and headphones. The synagogue also received a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to improve the accessibility of a classroom. That renovation is almost complete, and the room, which features a wall of sensory engagement toys, flexible furniture and alternative seating (think large rubber balls), will be especially helpful for children who need sensory breaks during religious classes or events such as the annual Purim carnival, according to Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, associate rabbi at the synagogue. 'Something important in Judaism is the idea that we are all created 'b'tzelem Elohim,' in the image of God,' said Klein Miller. 'And much of that is connected to the golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated and finding space for everybody in the community.' According to Rebecca Barlow, a regional disability specialist in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding a sensory room to a house of worship doesn't automatically make it accessible to those with sensory needs. 'It's just one piece of a bigger machine that you're trying to build,' said Barlow, disability specialist for the Desert Ridge Stake in Mesa, Arizona. The first step to building that machine, Barlow said, is asking disabled individuals and their families what it would take to make church feasible for them. When she first became a disability specialist roughly five years ago, feedback was invaluable. 'The biggest thing was listening. The parents of these children know what they need,' said Barlow, who is the parent of a child with autism. Based on the families' input, she created a sensory room in her meeting house with new donated items. Knowing it would be used by kids who could become aggressive, she removed hard chairs and chalkboard lips that could pose safety risks. She also filled the room with the usual sensory items, added light-blocking curtains and included a night-light that projected a calming light pattern. Still, it took more than that to get families back in the door. 'We, as parents of disabled children, often can become jaded, and we lack trust that our children are going to be cared for in a manner appropriate to how special they are,' said Barlow. To build trust with families, church leaders invited some members of the ward to serve as one-on-one aides for each child with a disability. The aides were trained in the homes of their assigned families and eventually accompanied the kids in the sensory room during church meetings. Barlow also introduced the kids to the sensory room ahead of time via pictures and tours, and ward members, too, received basic training on understanding disabilities and how to use the sensory room. In the few years since that sensory room opened, the model has gained traction. Barlow says the seven wards in her stake now each have their own disability specialists and sensory rooms, and she routinely takes calls from LDS church members across the country and the globe seeking to set up sensory rooms of their own. 'It feels like we're seeing a cultural shift toward understanding and accepting and integrating people with disabilities,' said Barlow. 'If we want to follow Christ, if we want to emulate him, if we want to be his disciples … they need to be foremost in our mind.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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Axios
08-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
3M is calling office workers back four days a week
3M is telling its corporate workforce to return to the office four days a week starting Sept. 1, CEO Bill Brown wrote in a letter to employees today. Why it matters: 3M was one of the last holdouts of major Twin Cities corporations calling their workers back and the move by the Maplewood-based company underscores a major shift happening this summer. What they're saying: "I believe our ability to engage, collaborate and innovate is stronger in person," Brown wrote to employees. He referenced the company's progress with its "Collaboration Days" policy that started in 2024 and brought managers back three days a week. Brown wrote in his email that some employees will return right away in September, while others will need to wait for office renovations, which could take until late 2026. The policy does not apply to existing remote employees who are working distantly. State of play: Some surveys have shown that many employees say they will find a new job if they can't work from home, but the options for remote work are dwindling among Minnesota's largest employers. Employees at Minnesota' largest corporation, UnitedHealth Group, were called back four days a week starting on Monday. Medtronic workers will need to be in office four days a week starting Sept. 2, up from three days a week. This summer, Target began requiring multiple divisions to come back to its Minneapolis headquarters. The state of Minnesota's June 1 mandate requires 50% in-office work. Golden Valley-based General Mills called the bulk of its employees back Tuesday through Thursday in February. By the numbers: More in-person work is starting to show up in office space leasing metrics. Quarterly absorption in the Twin Cities — which measures how much space is leased against how much is vacated or constructed — was positive for the first time since 2020, according to a new report by commercial real estate firm JLL. JLL says a hefty amount of demand for space will keep leasing strong for the foreseeable future.
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
As US sets sights on more manufacturing jobs, 3M tries to boost flagging worker pipeline
V Wenham started college with plans for an English degree. Now the St. Paul poet makes her living as a welder at Advanced Exhaust Solutions. "I took a metal arts class, which I loved, and my professor encouraged me to pursue welding," said Wenham, 21, who graduated from St. Paul College on Saturday. "It really changed my life." Long lacking workers, America's skilled trades and manufacturers need to hear more stories like Wenham's. A few million more. At the beginning of the year, there were half a million manufacturing job openings around the country, according to federal data. By 2033, there could be 1.9 million unfilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S., a Deloitte and Manufacturing Institute study found. A wave of retirements depleting the workforce will fuel the gap between jobs and qualified applicants. As will the promised boom of more stateside manufacturing from President Donald Trump's trade policies. There might not be enough trained or willing workers ready for the jobs that will already be available in manufacturing and skilled trades in the coming years, let alone if tariffs work as intended. "If the number of people entering and graduating from degree programs that prepare them for high-skill manufacturing trades does not accelerate, the talent gap could widen," the Deloitte study found. "Some manufacturers are taking an active role - and the lead - in addressing talent challenges." 3M senses the urgency. Even after layoffs in recent years and advances in automation, the company routinely has hundreds of job postings at its plants around the country. The Maplewood-based manufacturer recently donated $500,000 to help remodel and outfit two Red Wing High School classrooms for robotics and advanced manufacturing labs, which will be open to all students starting this fall. "How it looks, how it feels, our sense of that is important as we think about some of the trends we see about perceptions of manufacturing," said Michael Stroik, 3M's vice president of community relations. "So we can say to those students, 'Hey, these are exciting fields that you can go into.'" That mindset serves 3M, which makes safety equipment in Red Wing, to build its own talent pipeline amid a broader culture that emphasizes four-year degrees. Stroik said he is seeing more openness and support from school officials, parents and students about going into the trades and manufacturing. The data is mixed. While the number of bachelor's degrees continues to rise in the U.S., the tally of associate degrees issued every year has remained flat since 2011. Certifications rose dramatically during the pandemic, however, and actually exceeded the number of two-year degrees awarded in 2022. "It's push and pull," Stroik said. "The magnitude of it, millions of jobs, keeps me up at night. What built my confidence is getting out to Red Wing and talking to the instructors and seeing the excitement in students who are very clearly going to change the world someday." Many manufacturers are investing in workforce development in Minnesota to boost training efforts from industry groups and governments. Duluth-based Cirrus Aircraft runs its own Cirrus University training program, and window-and-door-manufacturer Marvin worked to bring a mechatronics program to Warroad. Even companies that aren't publicly acting on the issue are probably internally discussing it. Attracting and retaining workers has been a top issue for manufacturers for many years in Enterprise Minnesota's annual state of manufacturing survey. The same is true nationally, though trade policy uncertainty topped the list of concerns to start 2025 in the National Association of Manufacturers quarterly survey. Stroik wants to see more collaboration, a sort of "rising tides lifts all boats" approach across the industry. "It's bigger than one company," he said. For 3M, the company's workforce development efforts extend beyond traditional manufacturing positions. Welders, electricians and others are all necessary to build and maintain machinery. Plus, 3M's auto parts, construction safety equipment and other divisions benefit from helping customers of those businesses fill jobs. The chasm between jobs and applicants is just as great with skilled trades as it is in manufacturing. About 30% of electricians will reach retirement age in the next decade, according to a McKinsey study. The churn in welders will be staggering in the coming years. "We're controlling what we can control," said Garfield Bowen a vice president of government affairs at 3M. "We need to be relentless about doing everything we can to fill this gap." 3M sponsored a "signing day" for skilled trades students at St. Paul College earlier this month. Among the students celebrating their commitment to a technical career was Mike Blackwood, who is starting his electrician apprenticeship with the Minneapolis local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers this month. "I've had a lot of jobs," he said, "but never a career." Blackwood, 37, initially thought it would be too dangerous when he was deciding between trades. But he took the chance: "I've discovered the love of my life." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
