NORTON SHORES – State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) said today that $15 million in state funding will be used to expand Michigan's No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program, which is marking its first anniversary of training thousands of unemployed residents so they can land good-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields. Much of the funding will help community colleges meet the needs of these new adult learners.
"My top priority is getting the workers of West Michigan into good-paying jobs now, and this plan will provide the training necessary to do that," Valentine said. "There is a gap between the kinds of jobs we have open in Michigan and the types of skills that many of our displaced workers have. This $15 million investment in No Worker Left Behind will enable these laid-off and underemployed workers to fill the thousands of good-paying jobs that are open right now."
The $15 million in additional No Worker Left Behind funding is part of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) budget for 2008-2009 that the Governor signed recently. In addition, the state has secured $44 million in new federal funding for NWLB to train more Michigan workers.
Through NWLB, eligible Michigan residents can attend a community college or university tuition-free for two years to upgrade their skills so they can get good-paying jobs available now. More than 31,000 residents have enrolled in NWLB since the state started the program with federal funding last year. While 11,000 have finished their training, almost 9,100 Michigan residents remain on waiting lists.
The state NWLB budget:
- Designates up to $5 million for adult basic education, remedial education or other training that some workers need to prepare them for post-secondary work or new careers.
- Provides up to $5 million for community colleges and other public institutions that grant associate's degrees to increase their capacity, which may mean adding space, faculty or equipment. Colleges must make competitive bids for these grants based on their need to meet local, industry-specific needs.
- Adds at least $5 million in additional tuition assistance to reduce the number of residents on waiting lists.
- Requires DLEG to provide education and training to as many federal food stamp recipients as possible in order to obtain matching federal funds and to spend the training money in such a way as to maximize financial contributions from federal, private and local sources.
"Expanding our retraining programs is one of the most worthwhile ways to help our working families get through these tough times," Valentine said. "Workers who have lost their jobs to downsizing and outsourcing can get training in high-demand fields and make a new start. Not only will more of our workers get trained in high-demand fields, but the program will also help move Michigan forward by creating the workforce our state needs to be a powerhouse in the 21st century global economy."
To find out if they are eligible for the No Worker Left Behind program, unemployed or underemployed Michigan residents should call their local Michigan Works Agency or visit www.michigan.gov/nwlb.