Pictured from left: Craig Stolsonburg – Business Solutions Representative, West Michigan Works!; Kerry Boulter – Training Coordinator, Flexfab; Kevin Trahan – Maintenance Technician, Flexfab Hastings manufacturer, Flexfab, leveraged workforce training funds to help cover the cost of long-time employee Kevin Trahan’s certification in Managing Industrial Networks for Manufacturing. Tapping into ...
A view from above MiCareerQuest 2017 taken from a hydraulic lift in the construction sector MiCareerQuest is a unique, hands-on career exploration event that exposes over 9,000 West Michigan middle and high school students to exciting job opportunities in high-demand industries. Kids, teachers and guidance counselors meet with local employers ...
Influx of training dollars critical during times of low unemployment The Talent Investment Agency for the state of Michigan announced today its Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) awards for FY 2018. Since 2013, the STTF has injected millions of dollars into the Michigan economy for short-term training in high-demand occupations. ...
If you or someone you know is in West Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday, you won’t want to miss ReThink West Michigan. On November 22nd, 2017 companies and non-profit organizations with open positions are coming together to convince you to live and work in West Michigan. Events will be held ...
The Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program in West Michigan is helping health care providers fill a critical shortage of talent and has been saluted as national Promising Practice by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department listed Michigan along with programs in Wisconsin and Idaho as states with apprenticeship programs that ...
Service centers will offer workshops, resource fairs and hiring events with veteran focus During the week of Nov. 6, West Michigan Works! service centers will honor those who served in the military by offering job search services and events with a focus on veterans. “We serve veterans every day, but ...
Board will look to innovative solutions to meet employer demand and provide job opportunities for all West Michigan Works! announced this week the nomination of the agency’s workforce board chair and vice chair. David Smith, president and CEO of The Employers’ Association, and Cindy Brown, executive director of Hello West ...
Discover Manufacturing, a partnership between West Michigan Works!, education providers, economic developers and manufacturers, celebrated Manufacturing Day on Friday, October 6. The national initiative started in 2012 to expose middle and high school students to job opportunities in manufacturing. In West Michigan, the day has stretched to a week and ...
The Michigan Construction Foundation (MCF) recently released Michigan’s Construction Industry: By the Numbers that reports on Michigan construction industry labor data. "We are focused on finding more workers for construction employers," says Brindley Byrd, Executive Director of the Michigan Construction Foundation (MCF), "and because of that, we looked at available data on ...
Certifications will allow Allegan health care facility to impact community for years to come Ely Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center was awarded $17,320 in Skilled Trades Training Funds (STFF) earlier this year. The state funds, administered through Michigan Works!, help Michigan employers train and develop staff. West Michigan Works! representative, ...
FACT: By 2020 there will be an estimated 1.4 million tech jobs in the US but only 400,000 people to fill those roles. In West Michigan software developers, systems analysts and information security professionals are anticipated to have job growth of over 20% in the next 10 years. West Michigan Works! ...
West Michigan Provider Honored for Innovative Approaches to Talent Development, Career Pathways Mercy Health was honored at a statewide workforce conference today for its commitment to developing a pipeline of skilled and competent health care talent in the state. Named the Michigan Works! Association 2017 Employer of the Year, Mercy Health ...
KL Outdoor (KLO), which manufactures Sun Dolphin Kayaks, has chosen Muskegon as the location for its global headquarters. The company will be investing $9.2 million and creating 153 jobs over the next two to three years. West Michigan Works! will assist KLO with training and hiring. READ MORE MLive: World’s largest ...
Five reasons why employers should participate It’s a fact: 37.5 million baby boomers will retire in the next decade and only 21 million workers will enter the workforce to replace them. (2015 Skills Gap report, Deloitte) To address the future shortage of talent, a regional collaboration of employers and ISDs ...
With the State of Michigan’s approval of another year of funding for the Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF), West Michigan Works! is encouraging employers who hope to receive funding to attend upcoming information sessions to ensure their applications are complete and competitive. Since 2013, the STTF has injected millions of ...
Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Michigan Talent and Economic Development Director Roger Curtis were in Grand Rapids on Monday to learn more about the success of a health care apprenticeship program in West Michigan. The Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program (MARAP) was created in ...
Talent 2025 recently released their Labor Force Participation Rate research brief. The rate is an important measure of the health of the economy. While the unemployment rate measures the number of individuals who are not working and looking for work as a proportion of the number of individuals in the labor force, the ...
SUPPORT WORKFORCE FUNDING The President has recognized that there are millions of vacant jobs in the country, and he says he wants to get people back to work. But this budget says otherwise. With proposed program eliminations and reductions just shy of $1 billion, it would seriously undercut our system's ...
Is your company interested in developing a registered apprenticeship program? Why do it alone? Apprenticeships have been used to train labor and address critical talent needs for over 75 years. West Michigan Works! is now part of a statewide initiative to expand apprenticeship programs. By acting as a liaison with ...
On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, West Michigan Works!, in partnership with Muskegon Community College (MCC), unveiled their new certified nurse assistant (CNA) learning lab. The lab features medical equipment, human manikins and a smart board for students in the CNA program at MCC. The lab in Muskegon is the third ...
On July 3, the West Michigan Works! Service Center in Barry County opened its doors in a new location. The opening was formally recognized at an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on July 12. Attendees included Mayor Tossava, Barry County Commissioner Ben Geiger, Barry County Chamber president and board ...
The Grand Rapids Community Foundation recently awarded $20,000 in grant funding to support boot camp technology training for local employees. The grant will provide low-wage employees, who face barriers to professional development, the opportunity to learn the technology skills employers need. Participants will learn skills such as software coding and business analysis. ...
West Michigan Works! has partnered with the Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) to help fill talent gaps in health care and provide new opportunities for job seekers who experience barriers to employment. A 13-week long CNA course provides no-cost training to those wanting to enter the field or needing ...
A Message from the CEO According to the president's 2018 budget priorities, the administration is requesting $9.6 billion for the Department of Labor, a $2.5 billion (21 percent) decrease from the 2017 annualized CR (Continued Resolution) level. Some of our community partners will be impacted by these cuts. While West Michigan ...
Dee-Tails was the perfect spot for jobseeker, Alahna. She loves dogs and Dee-Tails is a full time, cage-free dog daycare, grooming and boarding business. They have a large outside fenced in play yard and an inside playroom as well. Both were designed specifically for the safety and comfort of the ...
Milacron LLC, a manufacturer of plastic injection molding equipment, will be consolidating locations this summer. The decision will result in a $5 million investment in its Greenville facility and the addition of up to 70 new jobs. A collaboration between regional partners, including Montcalm Community College, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center ...
West Michigan Works! is proud to announce the location of a new affiliate site in Rockford. North Kent Community Services (NKCS), located at 10075 Northland Dr NE, is the largest food pantry and resource center in Northern Kent County. Michigan Works! staff will now be available at NKCS on Mondays and ...
West Michigan Works! has announced the promotion of Allise Wilkerson to Manager of its service center in Ottawa County. Wilkerson has been with Michigan Works! since 2010 and brings a wealth of program and managerial experience to her new position. She began her career working with job seekers in the ...
Trudy Brenner inside the CNA classroom at the Westside Service Center in Grand Rapids The Westside Service Center now opens its doors to job seekers, employers and nursing manikins. A cohort of 11 adults are enrolled in a 13-week certified nursing assistant (CNA) course at the service center and will ...
West Michigan Works! recently announced the release of its “2017 Hot Jobs List,” which contains 100 high-demand careers in the region’s top growing industries: construction, manufacturing, information technology, health sciences, agriculture and professional and administrative services. The Hot Jobs Lists provides a regional look at in-demand occupations; those with significant ...
California Closets, a California-based custom storage manufacturer and retailer, has chosen to open a new manufacturing facility in Cascade Township. The company is expected to invest over $5.7 million in the new facility and create 61 new jobs. The company chose the West Michigan location over other sites in Illinois, ...
Essential Service Award Winners (left to right) back row: Dave Janes, Michael VanHouten, Kelly Brinker, Dave Smith - Chair of the West Michigan Works! Workforce Development Board, front row: Yolanda Marble, Terry White, Julio Ignacio Caballero, Linda El (not pictured: Shela Jones, Lisa Vanderlaan and the staff at Martin Marathon) ...
Career Exploration Event Introduces Youth to In-Demand Careers “The exhibits were like real life job experiences,” said a middle school student. “I thought we were just going to listen to a whole bunch of speakers, but I like how you guys changed it up!” On Thursday, April 13, 2017, ...