[caption id="attachment_20778" align="alignleft" width="300"] Graduation diploma on background of US dollar bills[/caption] Do you want your business to be able to attract top-tier talent? If so, you’d better have something in your benefits package that includes the word “tuition” in it. Out of the college graduating class...
A popular state program that’s brought millions in worker training dollars to the Grand Traverse region is getting some business-friendly tweaks. The changes – and a new name – are coming to the Michigan Skilled Trades Training Fund, an initiative that wins praise in many corners. “This...
The ivory tower has morphed into something beyond educating the young. For many colleges, it's all about the bottom line. "Colleges are not in the business of making money. Colleges are in the business of making huge money," said Matt Breimayer, the owner and founder of Right...
As an employer, have you ever questioned whether an applicant’s educational degrees are authentic? If you discovered that a current employee had used a fake degree to obtain employment or advance his or her career with your company, what actions could you take? How would...
When Northwestern Michigan College begins its new associate degree in welding technology later this month, it’ll be thanks in part to something that transpired two and a half years prior: A major state grant for equipment toward skilled-trades training. The nearly $2.1 million grant, aimed at...
It’s not quite 50 shades, but Marathon Automotive’s general manager Dave Surowitz sees a bit too much gray in his field. “Our industry, like all of the skilled trades, is experiencing a graying of the workforce,” said Surowitz, a 20-year veteran at the South Airport Road...
Graphic designer. Baker. Firefighter. Customer service representative. They may not be occupations that readily come to mind as candidates for apprenticeships, but they’re among a myriad of possibilities that Evelyn Szpliet, the Northwest Michigan Works! new point person on apprenticeships, is happy to help employers consider. Szpliet...
It may be the era of government cutbacks, but one state program that has helped numerous Grand Traverse employers – the Michigan New Jobs Training Program – is expected to be around at least until 2023. Administered by Northwestern Michigan College’s (NMC) Training Services, the...
During the past 30 years, hundreds of business and nonprofits across northern Michigan have discovered an ally: Northwest Michigan College’s Training Services. “Our goal is to enhance the talent of the region’s workforce, enable organizations to be successful and contribute to the economic health of our region,”...
In 1975, the voters in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties approved a millage to support regional programming for vocational education. Retired Career Tech Center Administrator, Jack Drew, was instrumental in the success of that referendum. The following year, the Traverse Bay Area...
