A new training hub in Uptown Minneapolis looks to benefit thousands of Minnesotans.
The Rise Up Center broke ground Monday at the former YWCA Uptown location where organizers say 3,000 Minnesotans will get access to pre-apprenticeships, jobs, and job readiness training, according to Unidos MN Executive Director Emilia Gonzalez Avalos.
"So, this is not something that we thought about just like a few months ago,' Avalos says. "This is the result of the dreams and aspirations of essential workers that held us through the pandemic, that could not do remote work than many of the workers who work with their hands and their bodies to keep Minnesota going."
Organizers view the project as a key step in revitalizing the Uptown neighborhood.
Avalos says the center will revitalize Uptown and provide valuable training opportunities.
"This is a worker center, a training center, a co-working space, a place for workers to grow, learn, work together, and thrive," she says.
They say the Rise Up Center will rehabilitate the former YWCA location, which is located at 2808 Hennepin Ave S, and will incorporate environmentally-conscious design standards. YWCA Minneapolis Uptown opened in 1987, after being converted from the West High School gym. It closed for good in 2023.
