The Food Industry in the Twin Cities has 13 new employees to add to their ranks as our Fall Cohort completed their 6-week Food Manufacturing Program at Summit Academy, a partnership between Summit Academy OIC and 4 Access Partners.
Students completed fundamental courses in Food Safety, Human Safety, Packaging, Processing, Mechanical Equipment, along with career readiness and interviewing skills. The program also gave students a firsthand view of what it’s like to work in Food Manufacturing via weekly site visits to our partners: General Mills, Kowalski’s, Second Harvest Heartland and Pearson’s. We can't wait to see what's in store for these hard-working, talented graduates!
Accomplishments:
Next Steps for Graduates:
Safety remained a top priority throughout the program, with an emphasis on Food Safety and Human Safety. The students learned about the safety standards and processes in the food industry, as well as proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Site visits to Kowalski's Markets, Second Harvest Heartland, General Mills Chanhassen Plant, General Mills JFB R&D Site and Pearson's Candy provided a firsthand perspective on the various roles and work environments in the industry as well as the opportunity to meet and hear from a variety of folks currently working in Food Manufacturing.
The amazing team of 4AP instructors and experts for this program have over 300 years of industry experience and are eager to share their knowledge with the next generation of Food Manufacturing workers. Instructors for the program include:
Cargill volunteers: Stacy Madison Borders, Neal Fredrickson, Jeff Marciniak and Carlos Alvarado
General Mills volunteers: Chris Majors, Terry Kirihara, Keith Pullman, Tom Zingsheim, Judy Dudziak, Julie Holmstrom, John Rebhorn and Jay Slagle
Kowalski's volunteers: Russ Tourville, Jean Christensen and Joann Lundgren
Sunrise Banks: John Dooley
Are you or someone you know interested in starting a career in Food Manufacturing? Check out this page to learn more.