Michigan's No Worker Left Behind Program

The unemployment rate in Michigan is higher than any other state at 7.1%. Many who thought they had a relative amount of job security were soon heading for the unemployment line and scouring the newspapers and the Internet for a new job, myself included. Unfortunately, there just aren't a lot of job postings to begin. Michigan's economy has been hurting for the last several years, possibly more so than the rest of the country that is just started to feel this recession in the last year or so.

In this job market, employers can afford to be picky, asking for plenty of experience and degrees for jobs that don't pay all that much. Staffing agencies are flooded with resumes, newspaper ads and online postings are few and far between on good job openings.

In this economic downturn, the only ad in every newspaper I looked at was one of those "pay $180 and we'll give you a list of employers". Every week, the only job posting in the paper would be that one, trying to scam already down-on-their-luck, hardworking people out of their money. There were no other job postings for my chosen career as an administrative assistant. I had been doing it for just under two years before the economy forced the company I worked for to do some "downsizing". I also had no degree. Plenty of the postings online wanted an Associates degree with a wage of $10 an hour and several years of experience. I had already been making $11 an hour and did not have a degree.

After a solid month of making it my job to get a new job with no call backs or results, I decided that perhaps my field was oversaturated. I noticed that job postings for medical positions were still many. Even hospital website had page after page of openings. I kept seeing ads in the employment guides and classifieds sections for job training for medical positions. I decided to go back to school and pick a new career.

I found the No Worker Left Behind program on the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Website, announced by Governor Jennifer Granholm in August of 2007 as a way to help workers transition to a new career. The No Worker Left Behind program provides up to two years tuition (at $5,000 a year; maximum of $10,000) in an approved training program. An approved training program through No Worker Left Behind must be a degree or occupational certificate in a high demand field, emerging industry or in an entrepreneurship program. For example, medical, accounting, truck drivers, and computer software engineers are all consider high demand occupations. For a list of high demand jobs in your area, go to www.michigan.gov/nwlb and click on the link on the left-hand side that reads 'What high demand jobs are in my area?'.

Those who qualify for the No Worker Left Behind program are currently unemployed or have received a notice of termination or layoff. Whether or not you're receiving unemployment benefits is NOT a factor in your eligibility. Your family income must be $40,000 or less. You must be at least 18 years of age (there is no maximum age), must not have graduated from high school in the last two years, and must not be full-time college students (applies to 18-23 year olds). A skills assessment test must be completed at a Michigan Works! Agency. The free tuition is a one-time offer. For example, if you are approved for No Worker Left Behind, pick a program, spend even a single day at your program and decide that you want to drop out or change your training program, that will be it. No Worker Left Behind is a one-time offer for your entire life. The money is given to the training program you choose the first day you attend a class. So, you need to make sure you've chosen the right program for you. You will not get another shot at the No Worker Left Behind program.

No Worker Left Behind tuition includes instructional costs, books, materials, fees, and academic supportive services. You cannot start a training program and THEN get approved for No Worker Left Behind because it is not a reimbursement program. You do not have to be or become a full-time student with No Worker Left Behind. You can even enroll in courses that are online. However, you must complete training within four years.

If you feel you would like to attend a community college or training program to transition to a new career, this might be the program for you. If you would like to participate in the No Worker Left Behind program, the first thing you will need to do is call or visit a Michigan Works! Agency to schedule an appointment for your skills assessment test. At this appointment, they will go over the program, what the qualifications are and answer any questions you might have about No Worker Left Behind. Proceeding on, you will make another appointment (while you are at your first one) to return to Michigan Works! again, this time to bring in information to them. You will bring in things like your birth certificate, previous check stubs or your unemployment determination (and any other proof of income, such as child support, disability, etc), drivers license, social security, etc. They will tell you every item you will need to bring for the next appointment. They also direct you to www.mycareereducation.org for a listing of eligible programs through the No Worker Left Behind Program. You will pick you training program or college, searching by keyword, location, occupation or school. You will print out the information on the program you picked and bring it back with you to the second appointment.

When you come back for you second appointment for No Worker Left Behind, you will bring all the information that was asked of you. It will be a large group of people all there for the same reason - to submit their information and application for No Worker Left Behind. If you did not bring everything that was asked for, you will be sent home and told to make another appointment when you DO have all your information together. If you have everything, the Michigan Works! employees will make copies of everything and return it to you. They will then guide you through filling out the application and collect it from you. After that, you will wait approximately a month until your No Worker Left Behind application is processed. If you are approved, you can start the training program that you picked and submitted to Michigan Works!. To find a Michigan Works! Agency near you, visit their web site at www.michiganworks.org or call 1-800-285-WORK.