Lake Superior College recently received Finance & Commerce’s 2016 Progress Minnesota award. LSC was the only higher education institution in the state to receive this recognition among the 28 honorees.

The college was recognized for its outstanding work partnering with regional businesses to meet workforce skills and training needs. LSC President Patrick Johns accepted on behalf of the college on April 7 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis.

The college works closely with regional businesses and government agencies to monitor labor trends and develop workforce training curriculum and programs that are directly tied to the region’s needs.

For example, northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin are seeing significant growth in industries like health care, aviation, construction and manufacturing.

In response, LSC has developed programs focusing on allied health careers, aircraft maintenance, professional pilot training, machining, CAD engineering and welding.

Students learn more than just the skills they need for a chosen profession. “Our students learn how to solve problems and think critically,” said Lake Superior President Patrick Johns. “Our graduates don’t look to other people when they need to write a report or develop a project plan — they have the confidence to do it on their own. That makes them very valuable as employees.”

The Progress Minnesota awards program was created to encourage, promote and honor entrepreneurs and organizations from across the state that, by their investment of time, energy and ideas, are having a significant impact on job creation, business development, and the overall economic health of the Twin Cities and the entire state.