EMAG Joins Michigan Senator to Help State’s Job Training Program Initiative

EMAG LLC (Farmington Hills, MI) announced its full participation in the Michigan New Jobs Training Program initiative, led by Michigan senator Debbie Stabenow, who detailed the program at Oakland Communitiy College’s Advanced Technology Center on the Auburn Hills campus. Senator Stabenow is introducing legislation in Congress, called the New Skills for New Jobs Act, which would involve federal matching funds to support Michigan and other states that have already begun helping community colleges with local businesses to create more job training and retraining opportunities.

EMAG already supports the MAT2 program (Michigan Advanced Technician Training) here in conjunction with Oakland Community College and Henry Ford Community College, in which students engage in a study/work program with guaranteed employment at the end of defined period.  Chief executive officer Peter Loetzner comments, “We see the New Jobs Training Program as a logical extension of the student program, as many in the current work force need enhanced skills to perform the new tasks required by today’s technology.  This is especially true in our world of machine tools and related manufacturing.”

Speaking at Oakland Community College, Senator Stabenow said her new bill would provide a federal match equal to state training reimbursements, so that the repayment to the colleges would occur more quickly, plus there would be an increase in the number of eligible companies and workers participating.

Many Michigan businesses, especially those in the high-tech and automotive markets, constantly seek trained workers and have increasingly found it difficult to secure qualified people.  The program would enhance the skill level of the workforce, making the state a more attractive base of operations for more companies in both market segments.

Senator Stabenow further remarked, “This program is a partnership between businesses and the community colleges, reaching out to workers.  And it’s a way for the federal government to recognize that new job skills training – to match the jobs now available – is a top priority for moving the economy forward.”

The New Jobs Training Program in Michigan was begun in 2008 and last year trained nearly 10,000 workers in partnership with 44 companies, generating $76 million in additional wages for the Michigan labor force.

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