DLEG - MI Opportunity Partnership Successful, to Become Part of New Bureau of Workforce Transformation and No Worker Left Behind

LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today applauded the success of the MI Opportunity Partnership initiative that ended its three-year-term annual goal by connecting 51,400 workers with jobs since May 1, 2007 - 11,400 more than its target goal of 40,000 and 11 weeks ahead of its April 30 deadline.

The program has connected approximately 124,599 displaced workers with job openings and provided workers with accelerated job training for high-growth careers in health care. The momentum of the MI Opportunity Partnership program will continue through the new Bureau of Workforce Transformation.

"The MI Opportunity Partnership has connected thousands of citizens with jobs, but it has also helped lay the groundwork for No Worker Left Behind," Granholm said. "Our efforts to ensure that Michigan workers receive the skills training necessary to secure a good-paying job will continue as part of the Bureau of Workforce Transformation."

The MI Opportunity Partnership program, which connected displaced workers with job openings and provided accelerated job training for high growth careers in health care, was introduced by Governor Granholm as a three-year initiative in her 2005 State of the State address.

In January, the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) announced the new, integrated Bureau of Workforce Transformation, which focuses on lifelong learning as central to the success of workers and employers in Michigan's rapidly transforming economy. The new bureau replaces two DLEG bureaus ─ Workforce Programs and Career Education Programs.

"The Bureau of Workforce Transformation represents the most significant change in the structure of Michigan's workforce programs in 15 years," said Keith Cooley, director of DLEG. "The Bureau of Workforce Transformation will maximize our services and resources centered on employers and workers."

While the MI Opportunity Partnership has concluded, employers will still be able to receive the same high level of customer assistance they received through the initiative, in addition to continued help with finding and hiring skilled workers. Displaced and underemployed workers who are interested in getting training for high-demand jobs can do so through No Worker Left Behind, which Governor Granholm launched on August 1, 2007. In the program's first six months, over 18,000 Michiganians were placed in training for in-demand occupations and emerging industries or entrepreneurial endeavors.

For more on No Worker Left Behind, visit the NWLB website at www.michigan.gov/nwlb.