Teri Sand, SHRM-CP, PHR, CBSP, CRP, Business Services Manager, Capital Area Michigan Works!, Lansing, MI, but serving Ingham Eaton, and Clinton Counties
To listen to Teri and Jeffrey's conversation discussing the Going PRO Talent Fund, an initiative that provides financial support to Michigan employers for employee training, aimed at enhancing talent, productivity, and job retention in various industries, click on this embedded SoundCloud PodCast shared below:
Teri shared several points with Jeffrey during their discussion.
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.
● Employees, current or new, must be permanent, full-time employees of the employer when
the approved training begins and must work primarily in Michigan. Employees are also
required to be 18 years of age or older and citizens of or legally authorized to work in the
United States.
● Training awarded through the Going PRO Talent Fund must fit into one of the following
categories…
○ Classroom or customized training, which is eligible for up to $2,000 per person.
○ On-the-job training for new employees, which is eligible for up to $2,000 per
person.
○ Department of Labor registered apprenticeships for the first year through completion,
which are eligible for up to $3,500 per person.
● No more than $500,000 may be awarded to any individual employer site. On average,
awards are $39,547.
Question: How can employers get involved and apply for awards?
● The 2025 cycle one application details have not been released yet, but the application will
open in the fall of 2024 and will cover trainings from January 2025 to December 2025.
● Regardless of an organization’s size and amount of employees, there are opportunities within
the Going PRO Talent Fund.
● Applications are re-reviewed every cycle and we encourage employers who have applied
previously and missed out on funding to reapply.
● To best prepare, businesses should meet with their local Michigan Works! agency early to
discuss their potential training plans. Among other responsibilities, employers are expected
to:
○ Sign and adhere to a contract/training agreement with the Michigan Works! agency
outlining their role and responsibilities.
○ Provide cash or in-kind contribution/leverage in support of the training project.
○ Use Pure Michigan Talent Connect (MiTalent.org) and Michigan Works! to recruit for
job openings.
● Any company that plans to have Capital Area Michigan Works! submit their Talent Fund
application must attend one informational session.
○ Informational sessions are going to be held on September 6 and 7 at 8:30 a.m. at
the Lansing AJC.
● To learn more about the Going PRO Talent Fund, please visit Michigan.gov/TalentFund or
call 517-492-5516 to speak with the CAMW! team.
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