Oakland Community College starts $4.5M job training program

Oakland Community College and a number of corporations with Oakland County offices have formed a partnership that will utilize the college's educational resources to retrain displaced workers. The initiative is expected to create 322 new jobs.

"I hope we continue to see more people who are displaced get jobs and give more people a shot at those new economy jobs," says Sharon Miller, dean of economic & workforce development at Oakland Community College.

The new initiative is sending $4.5 million to Oakland Community College from the Michigan New Jobs Training Program. The program allows companies working with community colleges to divert the state income taxes of new hires to provide job training through the community colleges.

Among the companies that are taking advantage of the program are Dokka Fasteners, Meritor and WABCO Holdings. Dokka Fasteners is working to implement a new, high-tech manufacturing process for wind energy components at its Auburn Hills plant. It expects to hire 76 people, and has already started adding staff. Meritor, an automotive supplier, is expanding its headquarters and technical center in Troy and is in the process of adding 125 new hires. Automotive supplier WABCO Holdings is hiring 121 people for everything from engineering to sales for its Rochester Hills facility.

"It took people a little time to embrace the program," Miller says. "Yes, it's real money, and, yes, it's a new tool for Michigan to attract more companies."

Source: Sharon Miller, dean of economic & workforce development at Oakland Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Oakland Community College starts $4.5M job training program

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