Going PRO Talent Fund

Applications for the second cycle of the Fiscal Year 2023 Going PRO Talent Fund awards closed on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Award recipients will be announced in July 2023.

Funds for Industry-Led Collaboratives (ILC) have been exhausted and applications are no longer being accepted.

The Going PRO Talent Fund (Talent Fund) makes awards to employers to assist in training, developing and retaining current and newly hired employees. Training funded by the Talent Fund must be short-term and fill a demonstrated talent need experienced by the employer. Training must lead to a credential for a skill that is transferable and recognized by industry.

Please click here to access the Work-Based Learning Online Management System (WBLOMS):
(Google Chrome must be used for optimal performance.
The WBLOMS cannot be accessed using Microsoft Internet Explorer)

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity - Workforce Development awards funds to employers through Michigan's workforce system, commonly known as Michigan Works! Agencies (MWA). MWA Business Services staff conduct fact-finding sessions with employers to assess their talent skill gaps, suitable training providers, and availability of federal funding sources. The MWA Business Services staff then determines whether Talent Fund awards are appropriate to help close the skills gap, and grant employers access to a convenient online application submission process. Interested employers should contact their local Michigan Works! Talent Fund Key Contact (see map below) early to allow ample time for the fact finding process to ensure applications are completed in time for review.

For more information about the Talent Fund, review the following:

Awards 2014-2023

Total Number of Awards: 6,016
Average Award Amount: $36,149
Average Training Cost Per Person: $1,198

Data is accurate as of February 15, 2023. Data is updated on a quarterly basis.

Key Contacts

Michigan Works! Talent Fund Key Contacts by Region and County

Featured Impact Stories

Wolverine Advanced Materials

Wolverine Advanced Materials is a developer and manufacturer of high-performance materials with a core competency in specialty elastomer-coated metals that offer damping and seal-ability solutions in the automotive and gasket industries. “The trainings helped provide the missing proper skills and knowledge for our employees. It also helped improve morale and showed our commitment to their growth and development. Ultimately, this helped shift the company from staying afloat during the pandemic to having our best performance year to date. The team was able to improve customer relationships through their ability to understand technical drawings and provide customers with the proper dimensions and specifications for our product offerings.”

Jordan Manufacturing Company

Jordan Manufacturing Company provides tooling, metal stampings, and assemblies for a wide variety of industries across the globe. “Training improved business operations by increasing production and reducing downtime. Training also strengthened existing skills and provided employees with new tools and communication methods. This allowed for better teamwork, more efficient troubleshooting, and quicker decision making.” “The entire team assisting us with Going Pro funding (and the trainers they recommended) have been extremely helpful to us. We could not have gotten through the last two years without them.” - Justin, President.

SAMES KREMLIN Inc.

SAMES KREMLIN Inc. manufactures and distributes finishing equipment to apply paint, powder and adhesives. “The award touched every employee in our company through training focused on technical, leadership, and innovation skills. Employees received over 24 certificates for skilled trades. They completed over a dozen different subjects such as electrical safety, troubleshooting, IT, and software designer essentials. Several staff were promoted post training after demonstrating new leadership competencies. Over 95% of staff received increases in wages.”