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Regional workforce agency reports serving Washtenaw residents, cites $6.5 million in grants
Summary
A presenter from a Northwest Michigan regional workforce agency told Washtenaw County commissioners the agency helped more than 12,000 job seekers across a 10-county region, secured $6.5 million in grants and brought about $610,000 to businesses in Washtenaw County in the last year.
A presenter from a Northwest Michigan regional workforce development agency told Washtenaw County commissioners that the agency served more than 12,000 job seekers across a 10-county region, secured about $6.5 million in grants for employer training and brought roughly $610,000 in business grants to Washtenaw County last year.
The presenter said the agency operates three service lines: individual employment and education services, business services including nontraditional apprenticeship programs, and planning/grant work on behalf of local governments. “We really have 3 service lines,” the presenter said. “You’ll see in the annual report… some numbers of our impact in those 3 categories.”
Why it matters: county officials said workforce and small-business support influence local hiring, youth career pathways and regional economic development. Commissioners heard details about youth outreach and local partnerships that the presenter said keep job opportunities in the county.
The presenter provided program details: the agency reported working with youth on AmeriCorps-style planning, work experience and employability skills; supporting more than 600 businesses regionally, with a focus on employer-driven apprenticeship training; and bringing grants to help communities access economic-development funding. The presenter said the group accessed about $6.5 million in grants across the 10-county region and leveraged about $500,000 in economic development grants in the last year.
Regarding Washtenaw County specifically, the presenter said the agency worked with about 1,700 job seekers who live in the county in 2024 and that nearly 400 young people in the county participated in work-experience programs. The presenter said the agency’s Mitchell Street location serves residents in the northwest region and is used by many Washtenaw County residents. The presenter cited partnerships with local career and technical education providers and area academies to deliver face-to-face work-experience opportunities for teenagers.
Commissioners did not make policy decisions during the presentation. The presenter offered to answer questions and invited commissioners to review the agency’s annual report; the meeting proceeded to other agenda items after the presentation.
Ending: Commissioners moved from the presentation to the regular agenda after the presenter concluded and offered to take questions.
