Michiganders are encouraged to explore high-demand, high-wage career opportunities during Professional Trades Month

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joins the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to proclaim May as Professional Trades Month to honor those in these essential fields and encourage Michiganders to explore educational and career opportunities.

“A career in the professional trades offers Michiganders a good-paying, in-demand job while helping us fix the damn roads, build more housing, replace lead pipes, and build the foundation of strong communities,” said Governor Whitmer. “Programs like the Going PRO Talent Fund, State Apprenticeship Expansion, and Michigan Reconnect are putting tens of thousands of people on paths to support themselves and their families. Together, we will build a stronger workforce, meet talent needs, and grow our economy.”

Businesses across Michigan need highly skilled workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, mobility and outdoor recreation. Many of these high-demand, high-wage careers do not require a four-year degree and have pathways that focus on credentials, certificates, on-the-job training and Registered Apprenticeships.

Many businesses require highly skilled workers to fill a multitude of professional trades positions. With just over 520,000 Michigan jobs and approximately 45,500 annual openings in the professional trades projected by the year 2030, it has never been more important to spotlight these critical fields.

“Professional trades is a broad brush we use to talk about a wide variety of vitally important careers that provide economic security to Michigan workers and their families,” said LEO’s Office of Employment and Training Director Stephanie Beckhorn. “We want all Michiganders to know there are resources available to help you tap into these in-demand, good paying jobs with little or no student debt.”

State Apprenticeship Expansion is an innovative approach to help prepare Michigan’s future workforce. Registered Apprenticeships are career training programs in which apprentices gain paid work experience, related classroom instruction and a national industry-recognized credential upon program completion. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 programs and more than 17,000 active apprentices in Michigan.

Another important tool in preparing Michiganders for careers in professional trades is the Going PRO Talent Fund. The Talent Fund helps individuals secure employment, industry-recognized credentials and strong wages by providing training grants to Michigan businesses to support employees in high-demand, professional trades industries. Since its launch in 2014, the Talent Fund has helped more than 6,000 Michigan businesses train approximately 170,000 workers.

“Like many employers in Michigan, hiring new skilled trades workers has been challenging, but the Going PRO Talent Fund grant has helped tremendously with the cost of training and onboarding new employees,” said Kayla Kinnee, Human Resources Manager of Huron Inc., which manufactures components for the automotive industry in Lexington, Michigan. “Additionally, our skilled trades workforce is quickly approaching retirement age, so we continually focus on training programs to ensure our new employees are learning the skills needed to keep our business running strong.”

There are many educational resources in Michigan that support pathways to professional trades careers, including the Michigan Reconnect program which provides tuition-free opportunities for eligible Michiganders age 25+ to earn an associate degree or skills certificate. Financial aid for postsecondary education and career training is also available through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship which supports students who graduate from high school in Michigan with a diploma or certificate of completion or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after.

Michigan also provides several resources that support career awareness and exploration for those interested in pursuing a new or different professional opportunity.

The Michigan Career and Education Pathfinder site allows users to explore careers and identify educational opportunities throughout the state. Pathfinder helps Michiganders make informed choices about educational and career options and plans to reach their goals. This free tool uses labor market information, wage data and other metrics to best match users and their skills with career paths and jobs.

Those ready to find their first, next or another job should visit Pure Michigan Talent Connect, the state’s online platform for connecting job seekers and employers, to create a free account and connect with employers who have immediate needs.