Minnesota's adult-education collaborative Forward Together issues call for organizational and individual partners

Text courtesy of Forward Together.

After more than a year of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota is looking forward to a brighter  future, with increased opportunity for all Minnesotans to skill-up, earn a college credential, and improve their  economic outlook. We are moving Forward Together and looking for passionate individuals and committed  organizations to help achieve the state’s higher education attainment goal and to help skill up the state’s  workforce. 

We know that word of mouth is the most effective outreach tool to encourage adults to enroll or re-enroll in  education or workforce training. Forward Together volunteer Ambassadors will come from all over the state and  from a variety of personal, social, and professional backgrounds. They don’t need to be an expert on higher  education or workforce development. They don’t to have “all the answers”, they need only the desire to help see  fellow Minnesotan’s succeed. An Ambassador is someone who is interested in being trained how to have  conversations with and provide support to the members of their family, social network, or community who might  be ready to further their skills or take the next step in their educational journey. Ambassadors volunteer their  time by helping us spread the word about Minnesota’s education and training opportunities. 

Please help us connect with individuals in your community who would be ideal Ambassadors.

forward together background

Forward Together was originally created to help achieve the state’s legislatively mandated higher education  attainment goal, which is to get 70 percent of Minnesotans within each racial and ethnic community, ages 25-44,  to obtain a postsecondary certificate or higher by 2025. Now in partnership with other agencies and programs,  Forward Together seeks to increase the number of adults, specifically Black, indigenous, and persons of color,  enrolling in and completing an education or training program.

the ambassador network

As Forward Together outreach begins this summer, Minnesota has partnered with Graduate! Network to recruit  and train local volunteer ambassadors to encourage their friends, neighbors, and colleagues to enroll in or to  return to college or workforce training and complete their programs. 

With support from the National Governor’s Association Innovations Grant, the Ambassadors will be trained on  not only higher education, but also Adult Basic Education integrated programs, state supported workforce  training programs, and accessing workforce or career services -ensuring a centralized source of information for  Minnesotans. 

Ambassadors will have training and support in this work. Being an Ambassador might involve face-to-face  conversations, sharing information via social media, or exploring other ways that make sense for their  community. The program is flexible and the possibilities for making a real impact are almost limitless! 

To become an ambassador, register here: https://mnforwardtogether.com/ambassadors/

opportunity for action

In addition to the Forward Together Ambassadors, Forward Together also engages leaders in education,  industry, public service, and government in the decision-making process needed to address the attainment gaps,  as well as to generate action for improving postsecondary attainment at the community level. Local  conversations began in 2019-2020 in communities across Minnesota, from Rochester to Moorhead.  

Join us by becoming a partner in this work. https://mnforwardtogether.com/

our partners

Forward Together has been made possible through the active collaboration among: 

• Minnesota Office of Higher Education 
• Wilder Research, Minnesota Compass 
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development 
• Minnesota Department of Education, Adult Basic Education 
• Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry 
• Minnesota State Colleges & Universities