Training programs funded by the Going PRO Talent Fund must lead to a credential for a skill that is transferable and recognized by the industry. This creates a highly-skilled workforce that benefits employers, strengthens communities and gives employees a skill for life. Here is just one example... GE Aviation-Muskegon manufactures ...
Technology continues to advance in workplaces across all industries. Companies must continuously upskill their staff in order to keep pace. The Going PRO Talent Fund (GPTF) has played a substantial role in making workplace training possible and helping employers remain competitive. Since 2014, the state has been allocating grant awards ...
The success stories highlighting how the Going PRO Talent Fund (GPTF) has impacted a company are as diverse as the companies they represent. The stories include a range of challenges: from general needs, like assistance with increasing efficiencies to reduce costs while maintaining product quality; to highly-specific needs, like ISO ...
The Going PRO Talent Fund was designed to help employers upskill their current workforce and train new hires to address the growing skilled-labor shortage. Funds awarded in 2019 to West Michigan employers through the highly competitive grant process resulted in training for 2,243 existing workers and 4,447 new hires. Workforce ...
Jacob Maas, CEO, West Michigan Works! As it stands now, Michigan’s 2020 budget does not include funding for the Going PRO Talent Fund. The fund has provided critical support for employers who are in the midst of a skilled labor shortage and who are facing a projected workforce gap of ...
As the region’s workforce development agency, West Michigan Works! is dedicated to creating a diverse and qualified workforce. We do this by providing services that help companies recruit and retain talent and help job seekers get the skills and knowledge needed for today’s jobs. Addressing West Michigan's Talent Needs We ...
The Going PRO Talent Fund awards grants to employers to assist in training, developing and retaining current and newly hired employees. The competitive application process opens September 12, 2019. These are five things you must know before starting your FY2020 application: Employers in West Michigan were awarded over $10 million ...
Firstronic, an electronic manufacturer based in Grand Rapids, assembles printed circuit boards for the medical, industrial, automotive and LED industries. The company has seen steady growth over the past seven years, increasing revenue from $7 million to $70 million and growing from less than 50 employees to nearly 200. To ...
Since 2013 they have applied for and received millions of Going Pro Talent Fund dollars. The Going Pro Talent Fund (previously Skilled Trades Training Fund) provides competitive awards for short-term training that addresses documented skill deficits. Employers play an integral role in the Talent Fund program; they work with their ...