Since 1981, the Minneapolis Neighborhood Employment Network (NET) has been a leader in the effective delivery of employment and training services to low-income communities in Minneapolis. During its history, NET and its partnersﾗthe Minneapolis Employment and Training Program and various job bank affiliatesﾗhave received positive recognition for their innovative approach to employment training and their high degree of accountability. The most important recognition, however, has been that NET has achieved its original goal of helping low-income residents of Minneapolis find and hold employment. Since its inception, NET has often sought out the academic capabilities of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to help provide insight into the complex issues surrounding employment and training. This article chronicles the history of the Neighborhood Employment Network, including its development, the creation of a partnership with the Minneapolis Employment and Training Program, and the role CURA has played in supporting NET. The authors consider the keys to NET's success, and offer suggestions for public policy research into the role that NET-like intermediary organizations can play in delivering not just employment and training services, but a wider array of services in partnership with government.

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