LEO has up to $150,000 available to fund up to three (3) regional partnership networks across the state with grants that support K-12 partnership, engagement, and planning with employers in their local manufacturing ecosystem. Each grant will act as seed funding to offset startup costs associated with coordinating and managing regional partnerships. Applications for funding are due by Friday, July 10, 2026, at 5 p.m. EDT. An informational webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 16 at 1 p.m. EDT.
Learn more about the RFP
The Skills in Sync initiative is making it easier for every Michigan community to build strong, employer-informed pathways that connect students to great careers. Skills in Sync is bringing together K-12 educators, employers and workforce leaders to expand career awareness, hands-on learning, and workforce readiness opportunities for students.
This MI Auto Workforce Hub initiative, in collaboration with MiSTEM and the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education, supports local-level partners to collaborate and identify program models that best fit community needs and aligns training pathways with workforce demand.
In Michigan, the automotive industry is not just part of our history; it’s a cornerstone of our economy. The auto supply chain supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the state.
Automation and electrification are reshaping how vehicles are designed and manufactured. These shifts are redefining workforce needs and elevating the importance of building student awareness and understanding of modern manufacturing.
The MI Auto Workforce Hub is piloting regional partnership networks that will bring together K-12 educators and manufacturers to adopt employer-informed manufacturing programs at schools.
The pilots are grounded by the real-world needs expressed by employers and educators from across Michigan during a roundtable series hosted by the MI Auto Workforce Hub in April 2026. In total, 40 participants representing 14 counties gathered to discuss educator-industry relationship building challenges and opportunities. Insights gathered from these convenings are captured in the Skills in Sync: Partnership Insights Snapshot.
Learnings from the pilots and roundtables will be captured and shared statewide in the Skills in Sync playbook coming later this year. The playbook will be a resource for K-12 educators that outlines practical steps for building and sustaining partnerships with employers and workforce stakeholders, highlights program models that work, and offers tools to help schools navigate their local manufacturing landscape.
To learn more about Skills in Sync, the MI Auto Workforce Hub and its workgroups, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
If you’d like to learn more about the Skills in Sync initiative, please reach out to the MI Auto Workforce Hub.
Email the MI Auto Workforce Hub team