Hennepin Technical College was awarded more than $4 million in funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) this month to create a microelectronics manufacturing training pipeline for students.

The funds are from the Minnesota Forward Fund (MFF), a DEED program that supports private investment, business attraction, and expansion in both existing and emerging industries in Minnesota. The program also provides projects with state match funding required by federal programs such as the Consolidated Appropriations and CHIPS Acts.

Hennepin Tech will use the $4,147,500 in funding to expand and enhance the college’s automation robotics program through new equipment and additional training space. As a result, the college expects the program to be able to serve more than 700 students and create highly skilled professionals in the semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing industry over the course of 10 years.

The total program cost is $8.29 million. Hennepin Tech will provide $4.06 million in funding, and semiconductor industry sponsors will provide $87,500 in matching scholarship funds.

Hennepin Technical College is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The school offers associate degrees in science and applied sciences to approximately 6,000 students at its Eden Prairie and Brooklyn Park campuses.

The Hennepin Tech funding is one of four Minnesota Forward Fund awards totaling $69 million, DEED announced this month. The other projects include:

• $10 million to Niron Magnetics Inc. to construct a new 190,000-square-foot facility in Sartell to produce up to 1,500 tons of iron nitride-based permanent magnets annually starting in 2027.
• $49.95 million to NorthWind Test LLC to construct and develop the Minnesota Aerospace Complex (MAC) in Rosemount, a dedicated facility focused on advancing the United States’ hypersonic ground testing, modeling, and simulation capabilities.
• $5 million to the University of St. Thomas (UST) in St. Paul to establish the Minnesota Semiconductor Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub and develop graduate curriculum related to smart manufacturing. The hub — in collaboration with manufacturers Seagate and Skywater Technology and MFF recipient Polar Semiconductor — will use AI to improve semiconductor manufacturing.

“The Minnesota Forward Fund is a tool that DEED can utilize to attract businesses to launch and grow here, especially in exciting, emerging industries,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “I’m excited about these projects and their positive, long-lasting economic impacts — both our expanding businesses and our workforce training partners in the semiconductor industry.”