WHAT WE DO
Building From What Grounds Us
From roots to rafters, we are building a workforce of community members and training partners in residential construction to help transform our region. Our initiative looks to honor the balance between where we come from and what we built next, weaving together both tradition and opportunity.
Through hands-on construction training, mentorship, and guidance right at home community members - youth & adults, young and old - can strengthen both their confidence and technical skills to build homes and build community for today and the future. We believe that strong roots - in culture, in community and in self - can build lasting careers in construction and lead to strong future for everyone.
Creating Healthy, Vibrant Communities in the Leech Lake region. One project, one person, one foundation at a time.
We are ensuring that Leech Lake is a place that people want to live by building homes, careers, and community.
Workforce Development Mapping
Leech Lake Financial Services in Cass Lake was asked to be the lead in the East-to-West region from Grand Rapids to Leech Lake to Bemidji and secured funding to hire a workforce consultant.
We’ve currently mapped the region in regards to construction and residential construction training as well as supportive services and continue to research and gather information on training types, capacity, support services, job placement, apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities.
We also are partnering with potential employers in the region to create an East-to-West workforce pipeline that links community members between Grand Rapids and Bemidji to nearby employment opportunities.
Future Steps & Proposed Solutions
Pre-Career Services: We are looking to prioritize pre-assessments to ensure individuals are joining training programs based on their interests, passions and skillsets and increase success for the trainee, the training program, and the future employer. We hope to partner with area agencies to offer vocational assessment to identify interests, skills and potential barriers to employment success.
Career Exploration: Are you interested in the trades but unsure of what career is a good fit for you? Do you want to have a career and not just another job? We hope to work with you to identify your skills, interests and learning style, and then match your results to career fields in the trades that are a good fit for you. Participants also have an opportunity to meet with employers and employees from different industries and go on tours of different work sites.
Ongoing Support Services: Through partnerships, we aim to assist participants to reduce barriers associated with training and provide support in increasing overall work readiness skills while also working to connect you to potential employers in the region.
More about Leech Lake Financial Services:
Leech Lake Financial Services promotes the economic well-being of individuals and families by providing safe and affordable financial products and financial training.
Since 2012, LLFS has worked to build trust with the community by holding to sound, ethical practices grounded in Anishinaabe values.
