LANSING – State Representatives Jennifer Haase (D-Richmond) and Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores) on Thursday voted for a plan to retrain thousands of Michigan's displaced workers so they can land good-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields. The legislation leverages a $38 million federal investment in the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program, which will significantly increase the state's capacity to match Michigan residents with available jobs.
"These residents worked hard and played by the rules, and through no fault of their own found themselves without a job," Haase said. "This plan will help our displaced workers get the training they need to back on the job and back on their feet in these tough economic times."
Through NWLB, eligible Michigan workers can attend a community college or university tuition-free for two years to upgrade their skills so they can get good-paying jobs available in high-demand fields. The federal funds will allow NWLB to train more workers and shorten the waiting lists that have formed statewide. NWLB is recognized nationally as one of the best programs providing workers with retraining and available jobs in new fields.
The $38 million comes on the heels of other efforts by Haase and Roberts to help displaced workers and boost retraining. Since NWLB began in 2007, more than 102,000 residents have enrolled in the program.
Southeast Michigan, including Macomb and St. Clair counties, will receive $18.6 million of the funding to help more than 4,200 local workers.
"Investing in our workers must continue to be a top priority if we want to get our economy moving in the right direction," Roberts said. "Providing access to job retraining ensures that while we work to attract more good-paying jobs, we also are moving workers into the jobs that are available now. No Worker Left Behind is key to providing our businesses with the highly skilled workers they need to succeed and thrive."