Michigan Business Beat | Teri Sand, CAMW! - Going Pro Talent Fund Summer 2024 Update

Michigan Business Network

Teri Sand, SHRM-CP, PHR, CBSP, CRP, Business Services Manager, Capital Area Michigan Works!, Lansing, MI, but serving Ingham Eaton, and Clinton Counties THEME: Teri discusses the Going PRO Talent Fund, an initiative that provides competitive awards for training that enhances talent, productivity and employment retention. Question: What is the Going PRO Talent Fund and how does it work? ● The Going PRO Talent Fund provides financial support to employers with training needs through award funding. ○ Candidates who will be a good fit for the Going PRO Talent Fund include companies looking to train new employees, employers who have a critical issue in their sector they want to increase education around or organizations who want to teach key skills to improve workflow. ● Going PRO brings many benefits to Michigan’s employers and their team members. For example, the Going PRO Talent Fund… ○ Helps ensure Michigan’s employers have the talent they need to compete and grow, while also ensuring individuals have the skills they need to work. ○ Expands and improves employees’ skills while developing their opportunities for growth. ○ Addresses skill shortages by supporting an increase in credentials, certificates and degrees through employer-responsive training. ● Going PRO’s collaboration with Capital Area Michigan Works! achieves employer demand-driven development that addresses talent shortages by focusing on skills that companies need most. ○ For example, The National Skills Coalition released data finding that 89% of jobs require digital skills and one-third of workers lack the foundational digital skills necessary to enter and thrive in today’s market. ■ If an organization saw a similar skills gap, the Going PRO Talent Fund could support training to increase those digital skills. ■ Going PRO supports training that will close critical skill gaps and increase economic opportunity, workforce readiness and job retention. Question: How has the Going PRO Talent Fund impacted businesses and what are some of the outcomes of the trainings they fund? ● According to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, since 2014, Going PRO has distributed 7,480 awards that averaged $39,547 per award and $1,412 per person in Michigan. ○ In 2023, Capital Area Michigan Works! awarded $5,760,445 in Going PRO Talent Funding to local businesses. ○ In 2024, the Going PRO Talent Fund distributed 821 awards statewide, totaling $44,971,808 across 780 businesses. ● Several local companies have shared their success stories and have improved their workflow statistics after receiving awards from Going PRO. ○ Block Imaging is a second-generation family business that provides refurbished medical imaging equipment, parts and services to support healthcare providers worldwide. New hires emphasized how smooth the onboarding process was and the quality of training they received; the funding Block Imaging received allowed them to incorporate more hands-on training hours and experiences for their team. Since collaborating with Going PRO, Block Imaging has increased the gross margin per team member by $1,000 per month. ○ BEKUM America is a designer and builder of extrusion blow molding machines. After utilizing Going PRO funds for apprenticeships, new hire training, classroom training and skilled trades training, BEKUM was able to support the success of 11 current apprentices, three new apprentices and 16 skilled trades employees. Question: How is funding allocated and what is required for an award? ● Funding is provided for training that fills a demonstrated talent need experienced by the employer, is short term and leads to a credential for a skill that is transferable and recognized by industry. Question: How can employers get involved and apply for awards?