Photo by Mikael Blomkvist at Pexels
LANSING, Mich.—Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) awarded Helmets to Hardhats a $250,000 grant to support the Michigan Construction Apprenticeship post-Military Opportunity (MiCAMO) Program that will connect 225 Veterans with Registered Apprenticeships in Michigan’s construction industry.
“The MiCAMO Program offers active-duty and retired military Veterans meaningful career opportunities in Michigan’s construction industry,” said Whitmer. “To continue fixing our roads and bridges so people can go to work or drop their kids off at school safely, we need high-quality construction completed by highly-skilled workers. The MiCAMO Program will empower those who served to land a good-paying, high-skill, and in-demand job and help employers fill open positions. We will stay focused on growing our economy and turbocharging our progress to keep fixing our infrastructure.”
The MiCAMO Program will provide training to help transitioning active-duty and retired military service members, National Guard, reservists and veterans with Registered Apprenticeship paths to in-demand, high-wage construction jobs.
Resulting employment from the MiCAMO Program will benefit veterans and the state. Veterans who participate will gain long-term economic security in high-demand, high-wage U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Registered Apprenticeship Programs and improved access to GI Bill benefits for eligible veterans. Having skilled workers employed in the construction industry helps the state close current skills gaps and supports an important segment of the state’s economy.
“Veterans represent the best of the best that our workforce has to offer,” said Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director Zaneta Adams. “This program is exciting because it helps veterans realize the many opportunities to gain skills and sustainable income and enables them to increase the economic footprint in their communities. Serving the community is what veterans have been trained to do.”
Registered Apprenticeships are industry-driven, high-quality career training programs in which employers develop and prepare Michigan’s future workforce. Apprentices gain paid work experience, related classroom instruction and a national industry-recognized credential upon program completion. The programs help employers begin an immediate transfer of knowledge from current to future high value workers. Workers get a paycheck from day one while they build the right skills in a new career.
More information about Helmets for Hardhats is available at HelmetsToHardhats.org. To learn more about State Apprenticeship Expansion in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/Apprenticeship.
