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Q: I have
heard the area near Hibbing is going to have more jobs that we can
handle. Is this true?
A: While
many areas of our country are looking at a bleak economic future,
we are looking at a potential boom time in Hibbing area similar to
what we experienced in the 1970s. The Mesaba Nugget and Essar
Steel Minnesota Projects, Keetac, United Taconite, North Shore
Mining Expansions and spin offs for our existing mining support
companies are expected to add over 1400 jobs. If Polymet,
Franconia Minerals and Duluth Metals non-ferrous mining projects
take off, they will add another 1,500 jobs. Cleveland Cliffs is
building a renewable energy plant, and the Excelsior Energy Coal
Gasification Project is still possible. In combination these
projects would add more than $3.5 billion dollars into the local
economy and would directly create over 5,000 construction and
3,000 permanent jobs. Retirements in existing positions are
expected to add 15,000 regional jobs in the next decade. In the
next ten years we expect to graduate about 15,000.
The is some
movement toward Hibbing Community College expanding vocational and
four year degree programs, as well as the development of a closer
collaboration between the high school, college and possibly a
charter school, to train students for the jobs that are coming.
Tell you more as I
find out....
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