August 8, 2008, Lansing, MI – Representatives of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG), and the Capital Area Michigan Works! Agency brought the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) 1^st Anniversary Tour to Lansing on Friday to recognize Demmer Corporation and Lansing Community College (LCC) for their NWLB partnership – a collaborative effort between business and education leaders to design an innovative program to train 530 workers for jobs in Demmer's Lansing facilities.

"Providing workers with the training they need is a critical part of our plan to strengthen and diversify Michigan's economy," said Granholm.  "The collaboration between Demmer Corporation and Lansing Community College – between a local employer and a local educational institution – is exactly the kind of partnership that is making the No Worker Left Behind Program a success."

Over the last year, Demmer Corporation experienced a period of unprecedented growth, creating the need for more than 1,000 new employees – employees with skills Demmer was unable to find in the local workforce.  

"We needed to increase our workforce by almost 80 percent in a calendar year," said Julie Mann, Director of Human Resources for Demmer Corporation.  "We never would have been able to meet our customer demand without programs to train workers in a very short period of time.  No Worker Left Behind gave us the opportunity to work with LCC in developing and implementing tailored training programs, allowing us to hire 530 workers for these new jobs."

"With the help of the Capital Area Michigan Works! Agency and the NWLB initiative, Demmer and LCC worked together to identify the specific skills Demmer needed, design a program to teach those skills, and put hundreds of NWLB-funded workers in to good jobs right here in Lansing," said Keith W. Cooley, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth.  "We must build similar partnerships between Michigan employers and colleges, to train people for today's jobs and to anticipate the skills we'll need for the jobs of tomorrow."

Joshua Smalley is one of the NWLB-trained workers now employed at Demmer Corporation.  Prior to his NWLB training, Smalley had worked as a truck driver, and he was also an experienced welder, having spent 15 years welding in his family's auto repair shop.  He tried to land a job at Demmer, but failed the required skills assessment tests.  "I was used to welding on thinner metal," said Smalley.  "I found out it's a lot harder to weld the thicker materials that Demmer uses."

A few weeks later, Capital Area Michigan Works! connected Smalley to NWLB and the opportunity to train for a job at Demmer Corporation.  LCC instructors came to the Demmer plant, and in three weeks he had completed training in the specific welding techniques required to work on the Demmer products.

"With the help of No Worker Left Behind, I'm able to provide for my family, which was my biggest goal," said Smalley.  "I love working, and this is a good place to work." 

When Granholm launched the NWLB initiative in August 2007, she called it "an ambitious plan" to train 100,000 citizens in three years for jobs in high demand occupations, emerging industries, and entrepreneurial endeavors.  NWLB gives Michigan workers the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to win good paying jobs in today's global economy.  NWLB provides up to two years of free tuition at any Michigan community college, university, or other approved training program for qualifying participants.

Demmer Corporation, founded in 1950, operates five plants in mid-Michigan and one in Petoskey. Demmer provides fabricating and machining of metal and composite products for industries such as military defense, aerospace, automotive, commercial, crude oil, power generation and others.

Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth press releases.