LANSING - In this week's radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that the month of August marks the two-year anniversary of Michigan's No Worker Left Behind job-training program.  Almost 82,000 people have taken advantage of the program.

"Our goal two years ago for No Worker Left Behind was to enroll 100,000 people in training," Granholm said.  "I'm proud to say we will meet and surpass that goal."

No Worker Left Behind was created in 2007 by the Granholm administration to help Michigan workers obtain the skills they need for good-paying jobs in a changing economy.

"Through the No Worker Left Behind program, people who are unemployed or need to improve their skills can get the college degree or certification necessary for a new job," Granholm said.  "Training is focused on occupations in high demand or in emerging industries.  People also can learn how to start their own business."

"No Worker Left Behind provides up to $5,000 a year for two years of tuition at any Michigan community college, university or other approved training program," Granholm continued.  "That means up to $10,000 for tuition."

"The first step toward a new career is visiting your local Michigan Works! agency or the No Worker Left Behind Web site, which is michigan.gov/nwlb," Granholm said.  "As we transition to a greener, more diversified Michigan economy, we want to make sure no worker's left behind."

The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state.  The address is available on the governor's Web site at (www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, together with a clip of the quote above.  The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.  Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - NWLB

Full:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov208_Full_287444_7.mp3
Edited:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov208_Edit_287447_7.mp3
Quote:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov208_Quote_287450_7.mp3

Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.

August marks the two-year anniversary of Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program.  We created this program in 2007 to help Michigan workers obtain the skills they need for good-paying jobs in a changing economy.

Through the No Worker Left Behind program, people who are unemployed or need to improve their skills can get the college degree or certification necessary for a new job.  Training is focused on occupations in high demand or in emerging industries.  People also can learn how to start their own business.

So here's the best part:  No Worker Left Behind provides up to $5,000 a year for two years of tuition at any Michigan community college, university or other approved training program.  That means up to $10,000 for tuition. 

Our goal two years ago for No Worker Left Behind was to enroll 100,000 people in training.  I'm proud to say we will meet and surpass that goal.  Already, almost 82,000 people have taken advantage of this program.

There are many No Worker Left Behind success stories.  Let me just share a couple of them.  Ed, an Oakland County resident, was an automotive engineer for more than 15 years, and he began thinking about a new career, of course, after seeing numerous colleagues lose their jobs.  He chose nursing, and started taking classes at Oakland University.

No Worker Left Behind paid Ed's entire tuition for his third semester in Oakland's accelerated nursing program.  He graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing and now works in a hospital as a clinical nurse.  Without the tuition assistance from No Worker Left Behind, Ed says, "it would have been really, really tough."

Another success story is Kent from Benton Harbor.  Kent had a two-year-old daughter to support and was on the verge of losing his home and his car.  Through support from No Worker Left Behind and other programs, Kent now works for an electrical contractor in a pre-apprenticeship program.  He's continuing the training necessary to become an electrician.

Kent says, "I can support myself and my daughter.  I feel I have a career, not just a job."

Are you interested in the No Worker Left Behind program?  You qualify if you're at least 18 years old, are unemployed or have received a layoff notice, or have a job but your annual family income is $40,000 or less.

The first step toward a new career is visiting your local Michigan Works! agency or the No Worker Left Behind Web site, which is michigan.gov/nwlb.  As we transition to a greener, more diversified Michigan economy, we want to make sure no worker's left behind. 

Thank you for listening.

# # #