Federal officials visit Lansing, learn effectiveness of programs
LANSING, Mich. — Capital Area Michigan Works! (CAMW!) proudly welcomed a group of officials from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to its Lansing American Job Center (AJC). Over the last two days, CAMW! hosted a forum with local elected officials, business leaders and community partners; a panel discussion with higher education representatives in the region; and toured multiple K-12 career and technical education (CTE) sites.
“We are incredibly honored and grateful to host our colleagues from the federal Department of Labor. It was a great opportunity to showcase all of the important, integrated work we do as a region,” CAMW! CEO Carrie Rosingana said. “This work wouldn’t happen without the support of our boards, state agencies and community partners, and I’m so glad they could participate as well.”
USDOL representatives visited only two sites in Michigan — Oakland County being the other — and chose CAMW! to understand why the one-stop-shop model is so successful in connecting businesses and job seekers. They also looked at ways that CAMW! is aligned with “America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age,” the Trump administration’s workforce development plan.
Officials from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) also attended part of the program to share the ways in which state government plays an integral role in the programs that CAMW! administers.
“We are incredibly proud that Michigan has established itself as a national leader in workforce development, and we’re honored that the U.S. Department of Labor has chosen to visit Michigan to learn more about our programs and share information about critical workforce development priorities,” said Stephanie Beckhorn, director of LEO’s Office of Employment and Training. “We look forward to continuing to work with our federal partners to help make Michigan a place where even more workers and businesses can find success.”
The Michigan Works! Association, which advocates for and on behalf of the 16 Michigan Works! agencies statewide, presented to the Labor Department representatives about the system of AJCs that serve all 83 counties in Michigan and get more than 1 million visits a year.
“It was an honor to show the administration directly why we’re ‘The System that Works’ and how we already align with the key aspects of federal talent development strategy,” said Ryan Hundt, CEO of the Michigan Works! Association. “As the first statewide, unified workforce development system in the country, we think our way of service delivery could be replicated in all 50 states.”
