The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) Get Ready/GEAR UP Minnesota Division (GRGU MN) is an early college and career readiness program funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant. The mission of GRGU MN is to increase student achievement and access to postsecondary options, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds, indigenous communities, and communities of color. GRGU MN is funded to serve over 5,000 students in capacity schools and over 12,000 students in outreach schools throughout Minnesota. During the 2024-25 school year, GRGU MN conducted a survey to measure postsecondary and career readiness programming needs for schools serving 50% or more Free and Reduced-Price Lunch students across the state. 71% of responding schools indicated additional support was needed for connecting students to internships, work-based learning, and experiential learning opportunities, the number one programming need. A number of these schools were geographically clustered in northern Minnesota. GRGU MN is requesting proposals from qualified responders to conduct an electronic survey to review northern Minnesota K-12 schools’ capacity for work-based learning. The survey is expected to launch in May 2025, with results compiled and presented to GRGU MN and participating schools by June 30, 2025. GRGU MN estimates that approximately 8-15 schools will be involved in the survey. Responders must have 2 years’ experience in completing regional work-based learning survey work. Pending additional funding, GRGU MN may request support for the expansion of Work-Based Learning partnerships between schools and employers, increase the availability of Work-Based Learning opportunities for students, and build a network for schools to coordinate with GRGU MN. See descriptions of Phase 1 and Phase 2 below. Sample Tasks and Deliverables. Phase 1: Survey GRGU MN has an initial Phase 1 goal to complete a comprehensive electronic survey to review northern Minnesota K-12 schools’ capacity for Work-Based Learning. The scope of work and deliverables include: Meet with GRGU MN staff to discuss survey contents, schools involved and timeline. Conduct an electronic survey to measure schools’ infrastructure, capacity, partnerships, and needs related to work-based learning. This survey will have been previously developed and utilized in a similar regional context. The electronic survey should be provided through a medium such as Google forms, Microsoft forms, or other electronic forms that are compatible with a screen and meet State of MN accessibility guidelines. Provide GRGU MN with a regional overview of work-based learning capacity and needs. Provide individual schools with data driven recommendations to support the expansion of the school’s work-based learning opportunities. Assist GRGU MN in identifying additional funding to complete Phase 2, as requested by the State. Phase 1 must be completed by June 30, 2025. The Contractor shall not assume that the State will move forward with Phase 2 of this project. Should the state move forward with Phase 2, the Contractor for Phase 1 and State will negotiate a cost to complete tasks listed in Phase 2 according to amount of external funding secured.
