Apprenticeships

The Advance Michigan Center for Apprenticeship Innovation (AMCAI) has been building apprenticeships in Southeast Michigan since 2015. In 2020, a $4 million U.S. Department of Labor Closing The Skills Gap grant was awarded to Oakland Community College and managed by the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan (WIN) as MiApprenticeship.org. This U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) grant aimed to increase apprenticeships for Advanced Manufacturing in Southeast Michigan from 2020-2025. To access no-cost apprenticeship tools and resources for employers and career seekers, visit miapprenticeship.org

Partners include eight Community Colleges; Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Mott Community College, Monroe County Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, Washtenaw Community College, and Wayne County Community College District. Along with six Michigan Works! Agencies which include Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, GST Michigan Works!, Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board, Oakland County Michigan Works!, Michigan Works! Southeast, and Southeast Michigan Community Alliance.

During the summer of 2022, WIN was awarded the U.S Department of Labor Apprenticeship Building America (round 1) grant to continue the AMCAI ecosystem work and begin building the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Academy. This grant helps the WIN network of community colleges and Michigan Works! agencies, in southeast Michigan, to grow and expand apprenticeship hubs for traditional and non-traditional industry sectors, such as Healthcare, Government, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

Partners include six Michigan Works! Agencies; Capital Area Michigan Works!, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board, Oakland County Michigan Works!, Michigan Works! Southeast, and Southeast Michigan Community Alliance. Along with six Community Colleges partners which include; Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Monroe County Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, and Washtenaw Community College.

WIN & IT’S STAKEHOLDER PARTNERS ARE LEADING THE WAY TO BUILD, GROW & EXPAND APPRENTICESHIPS IN MICHIGAN

In 2022, the USDOL announced the inaugural cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors, including:

• WIN AMCAI Team 
• Washtenaw Community College 
• GST Michigan Works! 
• Oakland Community College 
• CEO Burke Architectural Millwork, Kelly Victor-Burke
• And nine other Michigan officials and organizations.

The chosen ambassadors will share their experiences and collaborate with the USDOL to champion apprenticeship opportunities. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship recognized WIN for exceeding its commitments as an Apprenticeship Ambassador to modernize, diversify, and expand Registered Apprenticeship while supporting the success of American workers, employers, and communities across the country.

“We’re honored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s recognition of SEMCA WIN as an Apprenticeship Ambassador. This acknowledgment reinforces our commitment to expanding and diversifying registered apprenticeships, creating opportunities for individuals while increasing value for employers throughout Southeast Michigan,” said Michele Economou Ureste, WIN Executive Director. For additional information click here. 

EXPANDING FROM PAST INITIATIVES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Previous apprenticeship work revolved around a WIN-managed $4 million U.S. Department of Labor American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) grant, from 2015-2020,  to expand regional apprenticeship through statewide innovation. This covered 37 counties throughout lower Michigan and promoted the overall goal of expanding and enhancing Department of Labor (DOL) Registered Apprenticeships.

Led by the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) and WIN, the AMCAI hub was comprised of nine community colleges—Henry Ford College, Jackson College, Lansing Community College, Mid-Michigan Community College, Monroe County Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, and St. Clair County Community College—along with many local and regional corporate, workforce and economic development partners, which focused on establishing and expanding apprenticeship programs responsive to the evolving technical needs in high-demand automotive and transportation sectors, along with expanding into non-traditional apprenticeship occupations like healthcare and information technology. AMCAI served over 2,229 individuals, both new and incumbent workers, by 2020, with approximately 92% of participants being of underrepresented populations.

Drawing from the innovation of past and current projects such as the DOL TAACCCCT-funded Multi-State Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (M-SAMC) and the Michigan Advanced Technician Training Program (MAT2), AMCAI continues to expand and enhance workforce education and apprenticeship.

The center has identified the following goals and objectives to attain this overall vision of expanding apprenticeship through regional and statewide innovation:

• Formation of a Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) Chapter in southeast Michigan
• Regional coordination and partnership with apprenticeship stakeholders
• Agile content: flexible, the accelerated curriculum in high-demand occupational areas
• Responsiveness to supply and demand: up-skill current and future workers to meet demand
• Demonstrable value and a clear return on investment for employers
• Improved capacity for flexible apprenticeship models that provide incentives to employers and apprentices to undertake an apprenticeship
• Career pathways, including credentialed training and articulation, to promote apprentice advancement and program completion
• Dissemination and adoption of exemplary practices, including competency-based apprenticeships and apprenticeship intermediaries
• Regional support: technical assistance and administrative coordination