Professional Development - The Minnesota Service Cooperatives offer a wide variety of workshops, seminars, and conferences.  The agencies also host a number of professional networks, associations, and learning communities.  Training opportunities may be offered on a regional basis or customized to fit the needs of individual organizations, including on-site training.  Professional Development offerings serve many employee groups:  from School Administrators to Bus Drivers, from CEO to Administrative Assistants, from Custodian to Paraprofessionals.

 

Academic Enrichment Programs - All Service Cooperatives offer, sponsor, and coordinate academic programs and competitions for students, often in cooperation with other organizations and agencies.  Several of these competitions reach state, national, and international levels.  Programs include:

 

Academic Decathlon	MN Student Inventors Congress	Writers' Fair
Citizen Bee	Music Fair	Young Inventors' Fair
Close-up	Odyssey of the Mind	Gifted Conference for Students
Speakers' Fair	Spelling Bee	Elementary Knowledge Bowl
Honors Program	MNSC Junior High Knowledge Bowl	MNSC Knowledge Bowl
Student Technology EXPO	Student Creativity Festival	Writers' Fair
Academic Decathlon	MN Student Inventors Congress

 

 

Cooperative Purchasing - Cooperative Purchasing services are designed to take advantage of the greater bargaining power that members can have when they bid for goods collectively as a unit.  Most Service Cooperatives charge a small percentage of the order cost as a fee for their service.  A variety of school supplies, cafeteria equipment, and custodial supplies are purchased through this program.  All of the Minnesota Service Cooperatives offer members this service.

 

Insurance Programs - Each Service Cooperative operates insurance pools for Health Insurance as well as other Risk Management areas.  Combined premiums exceed $100 million annually, and pool members have experienced substantial savings and cost containment as a result of these cooperative efforts.  A number of Service Cooperatives are utilizing a VEBA Trust Fund as an option to traditional Insurance Programs.

 

Technology Services - Several Service Cooperatives provide technology training and assistive technology support to their clients.  These services include training, planning, and implementation of new technologies in the school, home, and workplace, including network infrastructures, Internet connectivity, and software applications.  Additionally, the Service Cooperatives provide direct support to schools in the integration of technology and instruction.