Minnesota

The Shifting Gears initiative in Minnesota is called FastTRAC (Training, Resources And Credentialing for Pathways to Sustainable Employment). Like Wisconsin, Minnesota is using career pathways as a tool for integrating adult basic education, non-credit occupational training, and for-credit postsecondary degree and certificate programs, with credentials embedded into these pathways that “stack” toward degrees over time.

In Shifting Gears 1.0, FastTRAC selected seven advanced career pathway programs as “incubators” to test strategies for supporting student success and for creating bridge curricula between adult basic education, non-credit occupational training, and for-credit postsecondary programs. Minnesota also moved toward the FastTRAC goal of building “integrated data capability” for tracking student success across education and employment programs by adopting a charter for a new longitudinal data system that includes both adult education and college students. Beyond the incubator sites, the state also promoted local adoption of the FastTRAC model by targeting $2 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, $1 million in state and federal FY 2010 adult basic education funding, and all of Minnesota's Workforce Investment Act Incentive funds for FY 2010 to FastTRAC implementation.

In Shifting Gears 2.0, Minnesota plans to create a statewide, branded FastTRAC system through administrative, legislative, and programmatic changes. Its policy agenda focuses on:

Eliminating or reducing barriers for post-secondary participation that students commonly face, such as high college and training costs and insufficient student support services;
Supporting instructional innovation such as “blended content” where basic skills providers work alongside postsecondary instructors to deliver occupationally-focused courses leading to a credential; and
Modularizing postsecondary credential, workforce development and basic skills content

View an update to this summary (September 2010): Page 1, Page 2

For more information, see Minnesota's Policy Agenda and Action Plan.

State Resources

FastTRAC Initative
The Minnesota FastTRAC website contains the most up-to-date information on the initiative. View the FastTRAC website and the FastTRAC video, Minnesota FastTRAC: Opening Career Pathways.

Student Testimonials
Read testimonials from actual FastTRAC students.
FastTRAC Student Testimonial – Inver Hills Community College
FastTRAC Student Testimonial – The Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning