The Michigan Talent Investment Agency (TIA) has announced that the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) Michigan Works! will receive $2.46 million to train workers at 52 companies in the region in 2019. SEMCA is the Michigan Works Agency for the counties of Monroe and Wayne (outside Detroit).
With this announcement, nearly 24,000 Michigan workers at 780 employers across the state will be able to update their skills or gain new skills through $29 million in grants from the Going PRO Talent Fund (Talent Fund). The SEMCA award will provide training funding to eight Monroe County employers, 39 Wayne County employers and five companies in nearby counties. Over the past five years, the State of Michigan Talent Fund grants have helped Michigan businesses create over 10,430 jobs and retain more than 37,000 jobs.
The Talent Fund, formerly known as the Skilled Trades Training Fund, makes awards to employers to assist in short-term training or to fill a demonstrated talent need while developing and retaining current and newly hired employees. Training must lead to a credential for a skill that is transferable and recognized by industry.
TIA awards the funds to employers who must work with a Michigan Works! Agency (MWA). MWA Business Services staff conduct fact-finding sessions with employers to assess their talent skill gaps, suitable training providers and availability of all potential training funding sources. The MWA staff can then determine whether Talent Fund awards would be appropriate to help close the skills gap. During the application period, MWAs submit Talent Fund applications to TIA on behalf of their partnering employer.
“The Talent Fund provides grant funding that allows area companies to invest in their most valuable asset–their people to allow their business to compete and grow. Each company has a unique approach as to how they will tailor their training for new employees or for upgrading the skills of existing employees,” said SEMCA CEO, Gregory Pitoniak. “The Talent Fund is flexible enough to meet the needs of many Michigan employers.”
SEMCA Michigan Works! will be working closely with these companies in the next few months to ensure that the companies achieve their training goals. These grants help both new and existing employees at these companies gain the skills they need to perform their jobs effectively.