Michigan Works of Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren has been awarded a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to establish new apprenticeship programs.
Michigan Works VP of Workforce Paul Kirk tells us the agency has worked for years with employers to set up apprenticeship programs to meet their needs. This new grant will continue the work for another four years.
“It’s both pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship funding, so we’re looking at 405 pre-apprenticeships over the next four years and 270 registered apprenticeships,” Kirk said.
Kirk says the apprenticeship programs aren’t just in skilled trades, like many people assume. They’re in almost every industry.
“From general processing in a hospital to phlebotomy to community health care workers to direct care health care workers, LPNs, RNs, we’re able to really create stackable certifications that lead people from one level of their career path to another.”
Kirk says apprenticeship programs are an excellent training tool because they help workers get paid to learn new skills while enabling employers to fill open positions.
Employers who are interested in setting up a Registered Apprenticeship Program are encouraged to reach out to Mark O’Reilly at OreillyM@miworks.org. To learn more about the grant, visit the U.S. Department of Labor website.
