The grant signing, Nov. 14, makes the partnership official: Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids and Cambridge, and Synovis Interventional Solutions, are now working together through a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Grant from the State of Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The signing was held at the Synovis facility, Lino Lakes, Minn.

Synovis Interventional Solutions is a subsidiary of Synovis Life Technologies, Inc., a medical device manufacturing firm with headquarters in St. Paul.

"This partnership with Synovis Interventional Solutions will help Synovis' employees gain new skills in Lean Manufacturing, ISO and other areas that will further Synovis' growth in the medical device industry," said Carole Fuller, Director of Biomedical Technology Programs at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) applied and won the $310,000 grant last spring and actual training is scheduled to begin this November and run through June 2006. This grant will allow the college to provide customized training services to employees of Synovis Interventional Solutions. The training will include production protocols and work standards, good lab practices, clean room standards, Synovis' quality systems, animal experimentation, laser-welding safety, anatomy and physiology, manufacturing terms, and wire technology. Trained employees will earn continuing education units.

"We look forward to working with Synovis to develop this training to enhance the skills of their employees and also to enhance the College's capacity to provide customized training to other businesses," said Rosie Mortenson, Dean of Continuing Education and Customized Training at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

For more information on this grant, contact Carole Fuller, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, 763-422-3303.