Connecting Workers to Today's Jobs

In a period of economic transition, the job skills of one era often don not match the job opportunities of another. As a result, jobs can go wanting even when the unemployment rate is high. To make sure Michigan citizens have the opportunity to get these jobs, Governor Granholm proposed the No Worker Left Behind initiative and created the MI Opportunity Partnership, an unprecedented job training and placement initiative. The state has provided $30 million in grants to nursing programs to expand faculty and training programs, and partnered with Michigan's credit unions to provide nearly $40 million in low-interest loans for displaced workers to get additional training.

For too long, Michigan's unemployment system has encouraged workers who have lost their jobs due to outsourcing and globalization to wait for a better opportunity to come along. By redirecting the state and federal dollars already used for worker training programs, we can open wide the doors of education and training to every displaced worker in Michigan who needs it.

Governor Granholm's new No Worker Left Behind program will accelerate the transition of thousands of workers into good-paying jobs by providing free tuition for college or other training for them to gain the skills they need for new careers in high-demand occupations, emerging industries, or entrepreneurship. The Granholm administration will also launch an initiative to rapidly increase the number of trained nursing faculty to ensure that Michigan has the capacity it needs to meet the rising demand for health care professionals.

Governor Granholm's No Worker Left Behind plan will help more than 100,000 displaced workers by:

•  providing up to two years free tuition at any Michigan community college or
  other approved training program;
• allowing displaced workers to receive needed training in high demand skills
  while receiving unemployment benefits.

Last year, the MI Opportunity Partnership placed more than 112,000 Michiganians into jobs in fields as diverse as utilities, forestry and health care. There are now 25 Regional Skills Alliances helping to make this happen by working closely with local employers to understand the kind of jobs they want to fill and the skills it takes to fill them. 

Thanks to the MI Opportunity Partnership and No Worker Left Behind, the people of our state are getting the skills they need to get back to work. Employers who choose Michigan will also know there is an effective way to train and recruit our citizens to grow their businesses.