LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hopes to expand a program offering tuition-free community college for frontline workers in Michigan.
Speaking on Tuesday as the state lifted COVID-19 restrictions, Whitmer announced a plan to spend $100 million in federal funding to expand the Futures for Frontliners program.
The expansion would give tuition-free scholarships to frontline workers who served between Nov. 1, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2021 during Michigan's second COVID-19 surge.
“Today we are taking the last big step to get back to normal, but we will never forget the frontline workers along the way who helped us get here,” Whitmer said. “That’s why I’m calling on the legislature to join me in expanding the Futures for Frontliners scholarship program to cover the selfless Michiganders who stepped up in unprecedented ways to keep our state moving. As we put Michigan back to work, this will help people get into good-paying, high-demand careers, which will boost our economic jumpstart even further.”
Under the expansion, more than 22,000 more workers would be eligible to apply.
More than 120,000 essential workers applied for the program when it launched last year and nearly 16,000 of those applicants are already enrolled in classes and have completed a semester.
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