MICHIGAN — On Tuesday, Senator Debbie Stabenow joined students and local businesses at Mott Community College to unveil a major initiative to help train workers for new high-skilled jobs. 

Even with thousands of Michigan residents looking for work, businesses across the State are reporting difficulty finding workers for many skilled positions. 

Stabenow’s bill would provide a federal match, to double the number of workers and businesses that can participate in the Michigan New Jobs Training Program. The bill will also encourage other states to follow Michigan’s lead and develop similar job training programs in their states to help create jobs across the country. 

Stabenow’s bill would provide a federal match to double the number of workers and businesses that can participate in the Michigan New Jobs Training Program.

Michigan’s New Jobs Training Program was established in 2008 to help employers provide new employees the training necessary to qualify for high-skilled jobs. Under the program, a business enters into a partnership with a community college to provide new employees with the training necessary to fill skilled positions that the business would like to create. New positions must represent a net increase in jobs in the State for the employer. Once newly trained employees begin working, their state income tax payments are used to pay back the community college for the cost of the training.

Stabenow’s New Skills for New Jobs Act provides a federal match equal to the state training reimbursement from programs like the Michigan New Jobs Training program. The federal government will provide reimbursement to each community college every quarter. By matching the State contribution generated from the new worker’s income tax payments.  The federal initiative will repay the community college more quickly and dramatically increase the number of eligible companies and workers that can participate.

Mott’s Regional Technology Center/M-TEC provides specific training needs to help local companies hire workers with advanced skills to fit their needs.

According to a report released recently by the Michigan Community College Association, the Michigan New Job Training Program has a proven track record of success: in Michigan, 44 local partnerships have been established to train nearly 10,000 workers for these high-skill jobs. 

According to Sen. Stabenow’s office, last year alone, these partnerships were responsible for $76 million in additional wages and salaries for Michigan workers. 

By helping employees learn the skills they need to be competitive in these growing industries, their higher earnings have a ripple effect throughout the economy. Home sales and consumer product sales increased, leading to higher property tax and sales tax revenues.