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March 4, 2007
HARRISON — Thousands of laid-off workers across the state have tried to jump-start their futures at community colleges.
Enrollment at Michigan’s 28 community colleges has increased 12 percent in the past five years. At least some of that increase is attributable to people trying to better their employment chances in the state’s sluggish job market, which featured the nation’s second-highest unemployment rate at 7.1 percent in December.
There could be more interest in community colleges if a state program aimed at retraining workers comes to fruition.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to offer displaced workers up to two free years of study at a community college or training school, part of a three-year, $230 million proposal she calls ‘‘No Worker Left Behind.’’ The Democratic governor also would invest more money in nursing programs to address a critical Michigan employment shortage in health care.
The roadblock to Granholm’s plans could be money. The state faces a combined budget shortfall of nearly $900 million this fiscal year. Her proposal to raise more cash through a 2 percent sales tax on certain types of services has met some resistance from Republicans in the state Legislature.
Around 18,000 displaced workers now qualify for free classes through their local Michigan Works! offices.
Some of the hottest retraining fields are electronics, machining, skilled building trades and certain health care jobs.
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