Lenawee Now received a $169,000 grant to help develop and launch a new employer-led collaborative aimed at solving an identified talent gap in chemical manufacturing in Lenawee County. Funding comes from the nearly $900,000 in Michigan Industry Cluster Approach 2.0 (MICA 2.0) grants recently awarded by Workforce Development within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to help develop and launch employer-led collaboratives in a variety of industries across the state.
“Increasing employer led training opportunities is critical to our future prosperity, and to providing pathways to high-paying careers for all Michiganders,” Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio said. “Supporting employer training collaboratives is an important step toward closing the skills gap and supporting job growth statewide.”
The employer-led collaborative will bring together employers, educators, training institutions, workforce development organizations and other partners to develop solutions to fill identified talent gaps in chemical manufacturing. The participating companies in Lenawee County are Anderson Development, PPG Industries, Silbond, Wacker, W2 Fuel and Uckele.
The chemical industry is one of the strongest economic sectors in Lenawee County. This industry is responsible for the manufacturing of more than 19 compounds and substances. Lenawee Now anticipates a minimum of 76 participants will be trained through this program, with 25 of those employees representing a diverse group of individuals including veterans, non-traditional employees and other minority groups.
“This grant provides Lenawee Now with another opportunity to help our employers solve the talent gaps in our community,” said Jim Van Doren, Executive Director of Lenawee Now. “As in the past, we are able to accomplish more when we collaborate together on these issues that affect everyone in our community.”