LARA - Governor Granholm Names Andy Levin Michigan's Chief Workforce Officer

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Governor Granholm Names Andy Levin Michigan's Chief Workforce Officer

Contact: Liz Boyd 517-335-6397

November 4, 2009

LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that she has named Andrew S. Levin the chief workforce officer (CWO) for the state of Michigan. Levin's duties as chief workforce officer are in addition to his current responsibilities as deputy director of the Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth.

"Preparing our workforce for the 21st century economy is crucial for Michigan's economic turnaround," Granholm said. "Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program has become a national model for workforce policy. We must continue to innovate and provide Michigan's citizens every chance to succeed, and that's why I am creating the position of chief workforce officer."

Levin's duties as CWO include:

- working to ensure all levels of state government are maximizing resources to train and reemploy our workforce;

- working under the direction of the lieutenant governor to rationalize and consolidate workforce services in state government as part of the streamlining government initiative; and

- leading Michigan's effort to develop recommendations for national workforce policy.

Levin will give the governor a progress report on the commencement of these efforts within 60 days of being named CWO.

In just over two years, Levin has emerged as a national leader on workforce policy. He eliminated the outdated bureaus of workforce programs and career education and replaced them with the Bureau of Workforce Transformation, creating a more efficient, capable and strategic state workforce agency.

Levin has overseen the implementation of Governor Granholm's No Worker Left Behind initiative and made it a guidepost for national workforce policy. Under his direction, No Worker Left Behind has greatly increased the number and proportion of workers who get the kind of long-term training that can change lives.

Levin led efforts to acquire more than $70 million in additional federal funding for workforce programs in Michigan through aggressive and creative use of all available avenues, including the Workforce Investment Act, Trade Adjustment Assistance Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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