DETROIT (WWJ) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to create more high-tech talent in Michigan.
The governor on Thursday announced the Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation and MICHauto has been awarded a $2 million grant to fund projects aimed at doing just that.
The grant will help grow Michigan's high-tech workforce and build talent pipelines for the state's automotive, mobility and technology sectors, according to a press release from Whitmer's office.
One of the aims is to "strengthen and expand the student-to-graduation-to-employment pipeline." The Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) will launch a pilot program with Kettering University and Michigan Tech University to engage, track, guide, and retain students in statewide high school FIRST Robotics, Square One Network, and VEX programs in order to develop and retain the state's own high-tech talent pipeline.
The grant will also help conduct a survey of students, parents, teachers and career paths in Michigan's automotive and mobility industry. The results will help "inform industry attraction and retention strategies to position the state as a destination for talent and compete for high-skilled workers."
Whitmer says it's all part of a plan to "lead the future of global mobility" here in Michigan.
"Today's grants will help us reinforce our talent pipelines and ensure more students know about exciting opportunities in tech that can help them build a brighter future right here in Michigan," she said in a press release. "One in five Michigan jobs are tied to mobility, so investing in talent is important for both our state's economic prosperity and quality of life."
Other aims of the grant include analyzing North American high-tech sectors to help make Michigan more competitive and growing technology clusters in the state so more areas offer successful careers in IT or tech careers.
More information on the grant can be found on the MEDC website.
