Winkler Proposes New Group To Ease School-to-Work Transition

St. Louis Park and Golden Valley Rep. Ryan Winkler has introduced legislation that would create an online portfolio system for K-12 and college students that is being billed as “the résumé of the future,” a news release announced Tuesday.

The bill, which was introduced by Woodbury Sen. Susan Kent in the Senate, would establish a “Minnesota Learning Commons Consortium” that would combine existing technologies and programs to help students move from school to the workforce and help employers find the workers they need.

“In Minnesota, we’re fortunately ahead of the curve and can leverage award-winning solutions like eFolioMinnesota and GPS LifePlan to address these goals,” the release quoted Winkler. “And because of the scalability of technology, we can provide these tools and programs to all students and job-seekers, public and private, in every corner of the state, efficiently and effectively.”

According to the release:

eFolioMinnesota is an online portfolio system developed in partnership with MnSCU and the U of MN for higher education. GPS LifePlan, developed at Century College, helps students set goals and design plans that will lead them to college and career success.

Said Kent: “Using this technology, our students and workers will go beyond the traditional paper résumé and easily build the résumé of the future—a multimedia Web portfolio that helps plan their education and career path, and demonstrates their accomplishments and skills.”

The legislation would set aside money to establish the consortium—an interagency collaborative that will serve all schools and students in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Legislature’s website does not specify the amount of money that would be appropriated.