Midland, Michigan (March 2018)- The staff and the Board of Directors of The Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) are pleased to announce it has received a $182,120 Grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A Dow Foundation to support the development of a pre apprenticeship program with a target on providing accessibility for training to underrepresented populations in its training footprint.
The grant will address the increasing gap between those populations with limited access/opportunity and few if any compatible skills to meet job opening demands in the near future in commercial/residential skilled trades. GMCA will recruit, train and place pre apprentices into the construction industry. The training will provide not just necessary skills but also NATIONAL certifications and credentials that will increase employability skills, promote continued learning, and pay increases for enhanced competencies. The curriculum focuses on what weaknesses in math, reading, communications, soft skills and other impairments that may be barriers to employment.
“While there are many initiatives making some strides in filling the gap in the skilled trades industry this is an area we’ve excelled in for over 40 years. We’ve appreciated partnerships in the past, but GMCA is much better at directly recruiting and training those interested in the building trades and not simply being a conduit” said Jason Johnson, chairman of GMCA. “This grant from The Herbert H and Grace A Dow Foundation provides the funding tools for the next two years that will offer accessible training to citizens that haven’t had the opportunity. We’re going to fix that”.
The Greater Michigan Construction Academy is a 501c3 non profit organization and is a nationally certified training program using the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum making the training portable nationwide for students completing modules. The curriculum is recognized by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Training.
Source: PRESS RELEASE
