The Department of Education's new website provides college prep tools for students, teachers and parents.

The Minnesota Department of Education launched its new website “Ready, Set, Go” today to help students, parents and teachers bridge the gap between high school and college.

“Today’s students will need some form of higher education to succeed in the workforce,” Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said. “This website will be an important tool for ensuring our students take advantage of the great post-secondary options available to them while also preparing them for the next step after high school.”

The department hopes to use the site to encourage students take advantage of dual credit courses, college level courses offered to high school students. The site provides parents with up to date information on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other dual credit classes, while giving students tools for academic planning. It also provides information on preparing for the sometimes overwhelming process of applying to college, from choosing schools to applying for financial aid.

The site was made possible by a grant from the US Department of Education.

Governor Dayton joins Magnetation employees for a tour of mining facilities

Governor Mark Dayton’s “Working for Minnesota Jobs” tour continued today on the Iron Range, focused on value-added mining opportunities that will get Minnesotans back to work.

Governor Dayton was joined by IRRRB Commissioner Tony Sertich on a tour of Magnetation, Inc., a company founded in 2006 that uses low-grade natural ore tailings to produce marketable iron ore concentrate. Following the tour, the Governor and Commissioner Sertich hosted a roundtable discussion with area mining industry leaders at NRRI Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory.

Minnesota is one of the world’s largest producers of iron ore with over 100 million tons of taconite being mined each year. In 2011 the mining industry contributed over 5,800 direct Minnesota jobs totaling $474 million in wages. Minnesota is also home to four billion ton deposits of critical and strategic metals.

Working for Minnesota Jobs

Continuing his strong commitment to job creation and economic prosperity, Governor Dayton is traveling statewide to identify opportunities and barriers to economic growth in key sectors of Minnesota’s economy. The Governor is meeting directly with business owners, workers, and local leaders to seek input on what measures should be taken in the upcoming legislative session to enhance Minnesota’s economic competitiveness, stimulate private sector job growth, and open new doors of employment opportunity for Minnesota workers.

The Lt. Governor kicks off Minnesota’s “Own Your Future” campaign, Tuesday October 2nd at the State Capitol.

ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota’s “Own Your Future” campaign officially got underway this week – a state-federal partnership urging Minnesotans to plan for the services they will need as they grow old. The initiative addresses the growing importance of long-term care planning.

Own Your Future recognizes the dramatic increase in Minnesotans who will be 65 and older by 2030 and the corresponding increase in the number of people who will need help with personal care and household tasks because of their age or disability. Own Your Future focuses on the need for people to have plan so that they can enjoy their later years the way they want.

“Planning for long-term care helps to ensure choice, control and peace of mind for the individual,” said Prettner Solon. “The sense of security and comfort that comes with having a plan is something all Minnesotans should enjoy.”

In that effort, Governor Dayton, Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon, and multiple state agencies are working together to raise public awareness in the first phase of the Own Your Future initiative. The Minnesota effort continues and builds on a federally funded Own Your Future effort implemented by 26 states between 2005 and 2009.

A MinnWest employee shows off innovations to Governor Mark Dayton and Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson

Governor Mark Dayton kicked off his statewide jobs tour on Friday in Willmar, meeting with a dozen local leaders in business, government, and higher education to discuss opportunities and barriers for the state’s economic growth. The tour will continue over the next several months as Dayton meets with leaders in other Minnesota communities to solicit direct input.

Dayton began the tour in the midst of Minnesota’s recovery from one of the worst recessions in the nation’s history. The governor will use his listening tour to gather ideas on what should be done in the next legislative session to position the state for economic growth and job creation in the recession’s aftermath.

The public meeting in Willmar was held at the MinnWest Technology Campus, where businesses are working to develop new bioscience and agricultural technology with significant implications for export growth – and new jobs. The state’s agriculture and food production industry is already responsible for 4,800 jobs and $250 million in annual wages.