We’re excited to announce that BTD has received dual training grant funds from the Minnesota
Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience Program, or PIPELINE.
The grant will support us in helping our employees improve their skills and advance their
careers.

Dual training combines a classroom-style curriculum with hands-on learning that gives our
employees the opportunities to become trained and certified with skills that would otherwise
take months to achieve. The best part is, they get to earn while they learn. Employees can
advance their careers in a variety of areas such as CNC, welding and quality control.
The state awards dual training funds to businesses with in-demand, high-growth occupations,
including advanced manufacturing, agriculture, health care services and information technology.
We are just one of 31 manufacturers being awarded.

We became a dual training employer in October 2019, launching training programs at our
Detroit Lakes and Lakeville, Minnesota locations. Since then we’ve had 16 welders participate
and earn their certificate through the American Welder Society. Once they completed the
program, those individuals were able to put their new skills to work right away.
The program is a great accompaniment to our existing employee enrichment initiatives and
programs, including BTD University, our online learning portal and Tooling U-SME, a web-based
learning resource. These tools are geared specifically to metal fabrication and are a convenient
way for operators to develop their skills on specific equipment regardless of the time of day or
location.

We’re excited to be able to offer all these opportunities that not only help our employees grow,
but also allow us to continue to provide high-quality products to our customers.
Read more about the grant here.