5 Northern Michigan employers recognized as Apprenticeship Champions

Thunder Bay Community Health Services, Inc. – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion

Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department

MI Talent Together – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion

Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion

Michigan Manufacturers Association – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion

Five northern Michigan employers earned honors on Tuesday, May 28 in a ceremony following a panel discussion at the Otsego County Library aimed at recruiting more area businesses to offer Registered Apprenticeships to build the local talent pipeline.

Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department, Talent Together, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, and Thunder Bay Community Health Services were honored as part of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s (LEO) Race to Talent with Registered Apprenticeship Michigan event, hosted locally by Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium in conjunction with LEO.

The panel discussion, moderated by Jeremiah Johnston, Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium’s Apprenticeship Specialist, highlighted the vast benefits of Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for employers and job seekers. The event included representatives from LEO, workforce development experts, and northern Michigan business leaders and employers.

“It was an honor to host some incredible people in our region who are making great strides in the apprenticeship world. Our Apprenticeship Specialist, Jeremiah, has been hard at work registering numerous programs with the USDOL, further strengthening the workforce and employers in our region." – Jessica Topp, CEO Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium

Officials shared valuable information about the support available for local businesses to establish new or participate in existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Panelists included Brenda Beckwith – Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Jail Administrator, Alexandria Antkoviak – Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Apprentice, Bill Rayl - Michigan Manufacturers Association Executive Director of Workforce Solutions, Jason Reed – Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, Gina Zuberbier – MI Talent Together’s Program Manager, Lindsey Muszynski – Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Medical Assistant Educator, Kari Grulke – Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Nurse Manger, and Alex Villarreal – Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Apprentice.

Wanda Bigelow, Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity State Apprenticeship Expansion Analyst, welcomed the opportunity to honor the northern Michigan employers as USDOL Registered Apprenticeship sponsors.

Before being honored, the spotlighted employers participated in a discussion among area employers and state workforce development leaders to talk about their experiences and the advantages of Registered Apprenticeships.

“Having Michigan Works! as our intermediary has been awesome. We started our program building from the ground up. Jeremiah sat us down to create all these competencies – every duty a Corrections Office has – and create the training to those particular aspects. Now we have an online system where you can enter all your information and keep everything organized. Working with Jeremiah and having him enter in all the paperwork and tracking instead of us has really made this all possible. He’s been a wealth of help and information to keep our program rolling. I’ve put 6 apprentices through the program so far and I have another 4 enrolled right now.” - Brenda Beckwith, Jail Administrator, Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department

Opportunities created through Registered Apprenticeship are available through a variety of fields deemed crucial to Michigan’s future, including construction, energy, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and mobility.

Boosting awareness of Registered Apprenticeship represents part of LEO’s overall efforts to expand the talent pool and match employers with qualified employees to grow and sustain a vibrant economy. That effort strengthens Governor Whitmer’s Sixty by 30 initiative to have 60% of Michigan’s working adults with a skills certificate or postsecondary degree by 2030.

Registered Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career training model in which employers develop and prepare Michigan’s future workforce. Apprentices gain paid work experience, related classroom instruction and a national industry-recognized credential upon program completion.

For more information on Registered Apprenticeship in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/Apprenticeship.

Local businesses interested in learning more about the support available to start or participate in an existing Registered Apprenticeship Program should contact Jeremiah Johnston, Michigan Works! Apprenticeship Specialist, at 989.306.8589 or apprenticeship@nemcworks.org 

Photo info:

• Thunder Bay Community Health Services, Inc. – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion   -   left to right: Jessica Topp - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium CEO, Ashley Udell - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Program Manager, Lindsey Muszynski - Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Medical Assistant Educator, Alex Villarreal – Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Apprentice, Kari Grulke – Thunder Bay Community Health Services’ Nurse Manager, and Jeremiah Johnston - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Specialist

• Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department – Alexandria Antkoviak earns recognition for her completion of her Registered Apprenticeship Program.  -  left to right: Jessica Topp - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium CEO, Ashley Udell - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Program Manager, Brenda Beckwith - Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Jail Administrator, Alexandria Antkoviak - Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Apprentice, and Jeremiah Johnston - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Specialist

• MI Talent Together – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion   -   left to right: Jessica Topp - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium CEO, Ashley Udell - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Program Manager, Gina Zuberbier – MI Talent Together Program Manager, and Jeremiah Johnston - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Specialist

• Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion   -   left to right: Jessica Topp - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium CEO, Ashley Udell - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Program Manager, Jason Reed – Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, and Jeremiah Johnston - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Specialist

• Michigan Manufacturers Association – Race to Talent Registered Apprenticeship Champion   -   left to right: Jessica Topp - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium CEO, Ashley Udell - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Program Manager, Bill Rayl – Michigan Manufacturers Association Executive Director of Workforce, Jeremiah Johnston - Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium Apprenticeship Specialist, and Wanda Bigelow - Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity State Apprenticeship Expansion Analyst