Senate panel hears $750,000 request to expand Wallin Education Partners’ construction and health care career pathways

Senator Putnam told the Minnesota Senate Jobs Committee that Senate File 3801 would provide a one‑time $750,000 appropriation from the workforce development fund to expand Wallin Education Partners’ career programming in construction and health care.

"In my community, and I'm assuming in yours as well, two of the most in‑demand careers that we're experiencing in the state of Minnesota right now are ... construction and health care," Senator Putnam said, introducing the bill and asking the committee to consider state investment to scale a proven model.

Mohammed Salam, president of Wallin Education Partners, testified that the organization supports more than 1,900 participants statewide and focuses on measurable outcomes: "87 percent of our participants complete their degrees well above the national average of 61 percent. 67 percent of Wallin scholars graduate with no student loan debt, and 82 percent secure employment within one year," Salam said. He told the committee the funding would expand structured career programming from about 700 to 1,500 participants and grow direct‑to‑employment pathway placements from roughly 35 to about 100 over two years.

Joshua Avila, identified as a Wallin scholar and current Century College dental‑assisting student, described paid internships with HealthPartners and how one‑on‑one advising helped him persist in college and enter the workforce. "Before my health partners internship, I had never had a professional job," Avila said. "Those experiences helped me build skills and gave me a much better understanding of what it's like to work in a dental field."

Committee fiscal staff reported there have been no prior appropriations from this committee for that specific purpose. Senators asked why the Jobs Committee was the appropriate place for a request that overlaps higher education; Putnam and Salam said Wallin’s employer partnerships make the workforce committee an appropriate venue because the program is employer‑forward and focused on job placement.

The committee laid Senate File 3801 over for possible inclusion; no final vote or funding decision was made at the hearing. The bill’s proponents asked the committee to fund scaled internships, employer connections, and expansion of programming to address statewide workforce shortages in construction and health care.

Next steps: the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion on a subsequent list of bills to be considered by the Senate.