U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Central Lakes College President Larry Lundblad on Tuesday offered their responses to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

“One of my top priorities in Congress is putting people in Minnesota — and all over America — back to work, and I’m glad the president talked about that. I was proud to bring Larry Lundblad, the president of Central Lakes College, as my guest to tonight’s speech,” Franken said in a news release. “He’s a leader in work force development and I was very gratified to hear the president talk about filling the skills gap. We need to train people to fill the jobs we already have – jobs that are waiting to be filled, but that just don’t have enough applicants with the needed skills.”

Lundblad, according to Franken, is statewide leader in forging partnerships between schools and businesses to make sure students are prepared to join the work force.

“I was happy to hear President Obama highlight the need for work force training in his address tonight,” Lundblad said in a news release. “Higher education can play a huge role in our economic recovery by providing the education and training our workers need to compete in the new economy. I’m thankful to Sen. Franken for inviting Karen and me to the State of the Union.”

Sen. Franken also says he will pursue legislation on work force development that will strengthen the relationship between colleges and businesses to help make sure that students get the education they need to fill open jobs.

At Sen. Franken’s invitation, Lundblad spoke Wednesday at a Senate meeting on effective ways to create jobs and put people back to work. Franken also spoke at the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee about the need to close the skills gap during today’s meeting. He will pursue legislation on work force development that will strengthen the relationship between colleges and businesses to help ensure students get the education they need to fill open jobs in Minnesota and across the country.

“I was honored to join Sen. Franken at today’s meeting, and to speak about the successes we’ve had at Central Lakes College in closing the skills gap and putting people back to work,” Lundblad said in a news release. “Our program is successful because it’s a partnership between the college, local employers, and local school districts like Brainerd Public Schools. By working together and starting early, we’re able to prepare our students for great job openings right here in our community.”