The Go PRO Talent Fund invests in job training opportunities for Michigan job seekers and connecting with employers. Photo shows an example of an opportunity to train as an electrical power line installer. Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
As the labor market continues to tighten and favor job seekers with higher skill sets, it’s difficult to find sustainable work for some Detroiters. At the other end, employers are straining to find qualified workers to meet the demands of tech-based proficiencies across many industries.
Since 2014, Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity-Workforce Development (LEO-WD) continues to administer the Going PRO Talent Fund in partnership with Michigan Works! Agencies (MWA), to benefit the state’s employers and employees.
“We work with our Michigan Works! Agencies (MWA) and our Michigan workforce system to try and synthesize the supply side of the workforce with the demand side, which is the industry,” said Keenan Wade, administrative manager for the state of Michigan’s Go PRO Talent Fund.
“There is a gap we are focusing on between what is needed from everyday employees and in-demand employers to find a right match.”
The Going PRO Talent Fund (Talent Fund) provides grants to businesses to help with staff retention, development and training.
To qualify, employees, current or new, must be permanent, full-time employees of the employer when the approved training begins. Additionally, employees are expected to primarily live in Michigan, be 18 years of age or older, and a U.S. citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S.
What is the Process For Eligible Employers to Qualify for the Program?
Employees from MWA Business Services do fact-finding meetings with companies to determine their talent needs, training providers and access to government funding sources. After that, the MWA Business Services team can decide if Talent Fund grants are necessary to fill the skills gap. MWAs submit Talent Fund applications to LEO-WD on behalf of their partnered enterprise throughout the application period.
Since 2014, LEO estimates that over the life of the program they have trained over 146,000 employees and administered over 5,000 awards.
Training initiatives supported by the Talent Fund must be brief and meet an employer-identified demand for talent. Eligible training includes classroom/customized training, on-the-job training and apprenticeships. Employers are reimbursed for investing between $2,000-$3,500 per new employee.
Any training must result in a certificate for a transferable talent that is acknowledged by industry.
“The program addresses primarily technical skills gaps,” said Wade. “These skills gaps are measurable and ultimately result in some type of industry-recognized or post-secondary credential that is basically aligned with the state’s educational attainment goal. By 2030, 60 percent of our workforce will have some type of post-secondary credential. That’s the goal we are setting for ourselves.”
The technical skills training can range from hands-on technology, such as advanced machinery, to growing informational technology careers.
The Talent Fund is dedicated to ensuring that individuals have the skills required for in-demand occupations and that Michigan’s companies have the talent they need to compete and develop. Envisioned as a hands-on liaison program, the Talent Fund develops possibilities for workers to progress or be promoted within the organization as well as for professional and financial advancement by broadening and improving their skill sets.
The Talent Fund seeks to close the skill set gap by encouraging the growth of credentials, certificates and degrees through training that is employer-responsive and improves talent recruitment, productivity and retention.
“We’re most excited about the proof in knowing that this program is going to have a huge impact on our communities and the people that make up these communities. That includes workers, the employers, and the communities at large, all of the stakeholders because it’s about jobs. It’s about credentials and that’s going to give someone a better life.”
On Monday, November 21, 2022, the Going PRO Talent Fund application process for Fiscal Year 2023 began. The deadline for submission of applications is noon on December 12, 2022. Awards will be administered in two rounds, early January and Spring 2023.
To apply, search “Go PRO Talent Fund” at michigan.gov/leo.
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