IN THIS ISSUE:

NWLB Enrollments Rocket by 41 Percent

Delta College's Chemical Balance

Presenting Michigan's Own Green Day

Success Story: Barry Biever

Success Story: Tyler Sutton

In the News

Final Thoughts

Contact NWLB
Ph: 517 335-1319
Email: nwlb@michigan.gov

No Worker Left Behind News

December 2, 2008

NWLB Enrollments Rocket by 41 Percent

Now that the second year of Governor Granholm’s No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) initiative is well under way, we’ve got some great news to share – the number of workers entering training through NWLB is rising substantially!

Many of you will recall that we started NWLB on August 1, 2007. In the first three months of the program, August – October 2007, NWLB provided the funds for 6,101 Michigan workers to enter training. But check this out: in the first three months of the second year, August – October 2008, the number of workers starting training jumped to 8,610. That’s a 41 percent increase! (Note that these numbers do not include workers whose training is funded by federal rehabilitation dollars, because we were not able to begin tracking them until a couple months into the program. Those numbers are also holding strong.)

Credit for this big push to upskill Michigan’s workforce and open new opportunity to Michigan workers goes to our partners – Michigan Works! Agencies, community colleges, and other educational institutions around the state. They truly are taking up the call to expand lifelong learning and open new career pathways for Michiganders.

Delta College’s Chemical Balance Delta College is partnering with Saginaw-Midland-Bay Michigan Works! to prepare chemical process operators on a new “Fast Start” program that began in October 2008. I know there are so many partnerships like this throughout the entire state of Michigan and I hope we can share their stories too. This is just one example of collaborative efforts to match qualified workers with our employer partners.

Chemical employers (Dow Chemical, Dow Corning, and Hemlock Semiconductor) have openings for chemical process operators. The projected employment demand is for more than 100 new hires each year for the next five years. Starting salaries are $14-18/per hour.

Months of planning went into getting the first students into the classroom this week. Delta College, Saginaw-Midland-Bay Michigan Works!, Dow Chemical, Dow Corning, and Hemlock Semiconductor have been working together on this for 14 months. Now individuals with an associate’s degree in a related technical field can get the content of the chemical operator degree in just 16 weeks.

Presently, there are 16 people being trained in this program through No Worker Left Behind. If you have a story about an innovative collaboration we might highlight, please let us know! Next month we look forward to sharing the story of accelerated welding at Mott Community College.

	Presenting Michigan’s Own Green Day Save the Date!! Green Today, Jobs Tomorrow Conference, May 11, 2009

The Green Today, Jobs Tomorrow Conference, our statewide green jobs conference will bring together 1,000 leaders in business, education and training, labor, environmental, community, faith-based, and policy advocacy partners and stakeholders who are currently working on various facets of nurturing a green economy and talent base in Michigan. Attendees will include leaders representing local, state and federal policy-makers; economic and workforce development specialists; educators; business, labor, science, environmental, and technology experts.

• When: May 11, 2009
• Where: The Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI

I hope you will take the time to join us as we delve further into the Green Jobs Initiative as part of No Worker Left Behind. This initiative will help green companies grow by providing them with well-trained, highly skilled workers and to continue to grow a more diverse, globally competitive economy for Michigan. To receive e-mail updates about our conference and speaker line-up please click here.

NWLB Success Story: Barry Biever After a recent layoff, Barry Biever knew that furthering his education would heighten his chances for successful re-entry into the workforce. Barry had some prior welding experience, but said the updated training and certifications were a boost to his employment goals. “Michigan Works! through the No Worker Left Behind Initiative, helped to advance my career in welding,” he said. “The course fine-tuned my skills to keep up with changes to the industry.” Barry participated in a 120-hour customized welding training course that began in early September.

The Upper Peninsula Regional Industrial Manufacturing Skills Alliance (UP-RIMSA) and Michigan Works! The Job Force Board collaborated with local business and education leaders who recognized a need by manufacturers to provide a welding course to fill welding positions in the Delta County area. As a result, a partnership between local area businesses, Michigan Works! The Job Force Board, and the M-TEC at Bay College was formed.

The partnership and networking with participating businesses allowed Barry to make contact with prospective employers. As a direct result of the pre-screening and pending certifications from the course, Barry was offered employment with Northern Machine and Repair, one of the five businesses participating in the program.

Thanks to the assistance received through the No Worker Left Behind Initiative, Barry is now a full-time employee of Northern Machine and Repair as a field service technician. Pat Weber, manufacturing engineer at Northern Machine and Repair said today’s welder needs to be versatile. “We look for people who have multiple skills,” he said. “And this course is a good start.”

NWLB Success Story: Tyler Sutton Tyler Sutton had been making a good salary as a manager at Dick’s Sporting Goods from 1998 through March 2007, when he was laid off.

With a family of five and a mortgage to pay, Tyler came into the Michigan Works! Service Center in Bay City seeking full time work. When various assessments indicated that Tyler had high reading and math skills and an aptitude to succeed in re-training, his Michigan Works! career manager suggested that he consider going into chemical processing technician training. Tyler wasn’t really sure he wanted to go back to school, so the career manager suggested he go to Delta College and explore the program. The career manager explained that the chemical industry is expanding in the region; that skilled process technicians are in demand now and will be in demand for the foreseeable future.

Tyler did go to Delta College, talked to the instructor and came back enthused. He definitely wanted to go to school to learn chemical processing.

Tyler graduated on April 4, 2008 with an associate’s degree in chemical processing made possible through NWLB. He got an interview with Dow Corning and was hired full time July 21, 2008. Tyler’s job as a chemical process technician will afford him work with periodic raises and generous benefits including optical and dental.

Tyler has great enthusiasm for Michigan Works!. “I don’t know where I would be working right now if I hadn’t been convinced to go back to college and get this degree through the No Worker Left Behind Program,” he said.

NWLB in the News

Final Thoughts

While we are all aware of the difficulties facing our workforce, I am moved by the dedication and innovation of our many partners. No Worker Left Behind is all about providing opportunities for workers to “upskill” and be able to provide for themselves and their families. As we continue into year two and the Green Jobs Initiative – we look forward to continuing this great work together.

We have only just begun this journey and once again I thank you for your commitment, your work, and No Worker Left Behind.

All the best,

Andy Levin, Deputy Director
Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth

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