A state board has approved taking on debt to come up with $50 million dollars to help 18 Michigan community colleges ramp up their career and technical training, including Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City and West Shore Community College in Scottville.
Gov. Rick Snyder Snyder (R) has made career tech training a high priority. He says that’s because employers are looking for skilled workers, and most states have fallen behind in meeting the demand.
“So we’re going to keep growing in the skilled trades,” he says. “We’re going to be Number One.”
Snyder says a skilled workforce will attract new employers, which makes the bond sale a bargain for taxpayers.
The state will sell bonds to finance new technology and equipment at 18 community colleges across Michigan. Governor Rick Snyder asked for the bond sale to help community colleges ramp up for what he hopes is a surge in students signing up for career tech training.
“These are exactly the kind of jobs we want to see happen in the state in terms of better-paying, good career path positions that require additional training and skill sets.”
The governor says most of the country has fallen behind in filling employer demand for skilled workers. He says the state that does it first will attract new businesses.
