$10M grant to support new statewide apprenticeship program

$10M grant to support new statewide apprenticeship program

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has received a $10 million federal grant that will go toward an apprenticeship program for more than 1,640 workers. 

Announced today by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the funding will be used to establish the Michigan Statewide Targeted Apprenticeship Inclusion & Readiness System under a partnership with LEO, the Michigan Works! Network, Michigan Career & Technical Institute, Michigan Association of Community and Adult Education, and the Access to Apprenticeship Consortium that includes labor and associated contractors. 

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“As we put Michigan back to work, registered apprenticeship programs offer on-ramps to high-demand, high-skill careers, and in Michigan we have committed to expanding these educational opportunities to ensure more Michiganders can get good-paying jobs,” Whitmer said in a statement. 

The four-year apprenticeship programs will cover manufacturing, construction, energy, health care, information technology and mobility. The program will focus on the sectors most severely affected by COVID-19 and expand registered apprenticeship opportunities for women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and people without a high school diploma or equivalent education. 

Michigan is one of 15 states to receive the State Apprenticeship Equity, Expansion and Innovation grant award, and is one of five states to receive the maximum $10 million amount from the U.S. Department of Labor. The program will help Michigan achieve its “Sixty by 30” goal of increasing the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree to 60 percent by 2030.