June 17, 2010 - The Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) East campus officially opened today to provide state-of-the art vocational and technical training services to adults with disabilities in Southeast Michigan. MCTI East will primarily serve Michigan Rehabilitation Services customers in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, Ann Arbor and Flint. Today's opening featured a dedication ceremony, facility tours, and student classroom demonstrations at the fully accessible facility located at 11457 Shoemaker in Detroit, adjacent to the Samaritan Center.
"The new East campus will bring targeted job training for in-demand careers in business, industry, and health care, and Michigan's next big economic opportunity - green jobs," said Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Director Stanley "Skip" Pruss. "We're excited that this expansion will carry on the fine tradition of the Michigan Career and Technical Institute."
Since 1944, the Michigan Career and Technical Institute has provided training for Michigan's adults with disabilities at its main campus in Plainwell, MI. Known as the second largest comprehensive rehabilitation training center in the United States, MCTI offers a unique blend of caring human support services and training needed for jobs in today's competitive economy. MCTI is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). MCTI East will be administered to the same standards.
MCTI East offers career assessment services, as well as remedial training in math and reading, employability skills, critical thinking and problem solving. Certified nursing assistant will be the first vocational trade offering, with training in weatherization, culinary arts, building and grounds maintenance, and pharmacy technician programs to follow. MCTI is developing several customized training partnerships with Detroit area employers; students are already participating in asbestos abatement training through an employer partnership. Supportive services will be provided to help each student meet his or her personal training objectives such as career counseling, occupational therapy, interpreters for deaf students, basic education, and classroom and job accommodations.
"With the strong curriculum being offered at MCTI, we're helping students overcome challenges -- putting them on the road to a promising future and self-sufficiency," said Andy Levin, Michigan's Chief Workforce Officer and deputy director of DELEG, who spoke at today's dedication ceremony. "We're erasing the gaps in education and skills development, and in workplace support and accommodation."
The Michigan Career and Technical Institute is operated by Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) within the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth. MRS employs 265-master-degreed rehabilitation counselors who work-one-on-one with Michiganians with disabilities who want to go to work and assist more than 7,800 individuals with disabilities achieve competitive employment and self-sufficiency annually.
"Michigan's public vocational rehabilitation system is providing an increasingly vital service to these citizens as well as to our economy," said Levin. "We will see a definite return on our investment of helping all Michigan citizens become valued members of our workforce."
Approximately 1.7 million (17.5 percent) of Michigan residents have a disability; 18.6 percent of Michigan individuals with a disability are unemployed; and approximately 23.5 percent of Michigan individuals with a disability are unemployed in Wayne County.
For eligible adults who have a physical, mental, or emotional disability and are referred by Michigan Rehabilitation Services or the Michigan Commission for the Blind, tuition is free. All students must be at least 18 years of age to attend MCTI Main or MCTI East.
For more information regarding enrollment at MCTI East, call (313) 267-0125; for MCTI Main, call toll free (877) 901-7360 (voice/TTY), or visit the website at www.michigan.gov/mcti.
For more information about DELEG, please visit www.michigan.gov/deleg. Follow DELEG at http://twitter.com/MIDELEGor visit the "DELEG" page on Facebook and Become a Fan.
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