For employers and apprenticeship sponsors
Can't find skilled workers? Train them, and get help paying for it.
Michigan and the federal government will pay part of what it costs to train new hires and upskill the people you have. Most of it runs through your local Michigan Works! agency, which is free to talk to. Here's what's available, what it pays and the honest fine print.
Want families and job seekers in your county to know your name before they apply? Become a founding partner and show up, labeled, in the plans of people who pick your field.
Money to train
On-the-job training (OJT) wage reimbursement
You hire someone who qualifies for WIOA (often a laid-off worker, veteran or low-income job seeker) and train them on the job. Michigan Works! reimburses part of their wages during training, typically up to 50%, and up to 75% where the local board allows. Caps are set locally. Oakland County, for example, reimburses up to half of wages up to $5,000 per trainee. Registered apprentices can qualify.
Going PRO Talent Fund
Grants for training that leads to an industry-recognized credential, for new hires or current employees, including registered apprentices. The average award since 2014 is about $41,000, and the average cost per trainee is about $1,600. The next round opens in early 2027. Apply through your Michigan Works! agency.
Fine print: the fund was cut sharply, to $14.5 million for 2026-27, and a September 2026 state audit examined how awards are selected and monitored. Expect more competition and stricter documentation.
LEO, Going PRO Talent Fund · LEO, July 14, 2026 · Office of the Auditor General
Michigan New Jobs Training Program
If you are creating new jobs in Michigan, a community college can train those new hires at no upfront cost to you. It's repaid from the state income tax withheld from the new employees' wages. Any industry, any size. New jobs must pay at least the county's ALICE wage. Start with your local community college's workforce office.
State Apprenticeship Expansion funds
Federal money passed through LEO that partly reimburses training costs for registered apprenticeship sponsors, plus limited support services. In April 2026, $4 million went to 13 partners for 606 apprentices. Funds go out in rounds through intermediaries like Michigan Works! agencies and industry groups, so ask your agency which round is open.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
A federal tax credit of 25% to 40% of first-year wages for hiring from certain groups (veterans, people on public assistance and others). It lapsed on December 31, 2025 and needs Congress to renew it. Michigan is still accepting and holding applications, and past renewals have usually been retroactive. File anyway, within the normal 28-day window, so you're covered if it comes back.
Start a registered apprenticeship
Registered apprenticeship is the most durable fix for a skills gap: about 94% of apprentices stay with the employer that trained them. You don't need to build it alone.
- Step 1
Tell the state you're interested
Fill out LEO's Employer Interest Form. Pick the jobs you need and the skills that matter.
- Step 2
Join an existing program or start your own
The easiest path is joining a group sponsor (an industry association, Michigan Works! agency or college that already holds a registered program). You supply the job and the mentor. They handle the paperwork and classes.
- Step 3
Line up classes and mentors
Related instruction usually comes from a community college or training center. Plan for at least 144 classroom hours a year and about 2,000 job hours a year.
- Step 4
Register and get reimbursed
Programs are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor's Michigan office. Once registered, your apprentices may qualify for OJT, Going PRO and expansion funds, and veterans can use the GI Bill.
LEO apprenticeship for employers
Sources: LEO, Employers · U.S. DOL, State apprenticeship offices · 29 CFR 29.5
Build your pipeline from the high school up
Every state-approved CTE program in Michigan is required to have an advisory committee, with a majority of members from the related industry, that meets at least twice a year. They need you. It's the cheapest recruiting you will ever do.
- Sit on an advisory committee at your ISD tech center. You shape what students learn and meet them before anyone else does.
- Host work-based learning. Students who have finished half a CTE program and passed safety training can work in your shop. Unpaid placements need liability insurance; paid ones need workers' comp.
- Sponsor a youth apprentice (16+), including inside an Early Middle College.
- Show up at MiCareerQuest, the hands-on career expos regional Michigan Works! agencies run for thousands of high schoolers each year.
- Hire CTE completers straight into apprenticeships. Several unions already offer direct entry.
Sources: MDE, CTE Administrator Manual, Section 5 · MDE, Work-Based Learning
Hiring under 18: the rule just changed
As of October 2, 2026, youth work permits come only from the state, through LEO's Youth Employment Permit Portal. Schools no longer issue them. Both the employer and the minor have to register. Minors already working for you don't need to re-register until they change employers or work locations, or turn 16.
Minors can't do hazardous work, with one important exception: 16 and 17 year olds who are registered apprentices or students in a state-approved CTE program can do some hazardous tasks under a written training agreement, close supervision and school safety instruction.
Sources: LEO, Youth Employment Standards Act · LEO, Youth Employment Permit Portal · MCL 409.104a
Who does what in Michigan talent
Guides: Michigan Works! · Going PRO · Workforce Pell. Five public players, and it helps to know which door to knock on. The short version: MEDC brings companies here, LEO and Michigan Works! train and place workers, MiLEAP pays for school after high school and MDE runs high school CTE.
| Who | What they do for talent | Go to them for |
|---|---|---|
| MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation) | Business attraction and growth. Its Talent Action Team lines up colleges, schools and workforce boards around the jobs key employers need, and it markets Michigan to out-of-state talent. | Expanding or relocating here, large hiring needs in EV, mobility, semiconductors or aerospace and defense, college talent programs |
| LEO (Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity) | Runs the public workforce system: WIOA money, Going PRO, registered apprenticeship support and adult education. | Apprenticeship registration help, training grants (through Michigan Works!) |
| Michigan Works! | 16 regional agencies that deliver LEO's programs locally. | On-the-job training reimbursement, Going PRO applications, hiring events, MiCareerQuest |
| MiLEAP | Pays for education after high school: Reconnect, the Achievement Scholarship, Sixty by 30. | Helping your workers go back to school for free |
| MDE Office of CTE | High school career and technical education. | Advisory committees, work-based learning, future hires |
MEDC programs worth knowing
- Talent Action Team: a concierge service that builds a training pipeline around a key employer's priority jobs, with nearby colleges and schools.
- The Michigander Scholars: $5,000 to $10,000 for engineering and tech college students who intern or take a full-time job with a participating employer and stay in Michigan for a year. Employers in EV, mobility, semiconductors and aerospace and defense can join.
- Michigan New Jobs Training Program: promoted by MEDC, run by community colleges (see above).
Sources: MEDC Talent Action Team · MEDC, The Michigander Scholarship · MEDC, You Can in Michigan · LEO · MiLEAP
Where to start
| If you need... | Call |
|---|---|
| Wage reimbursement, Going PRO, hiring help | Your Michigan Works! business services team |
| A registered apprenticeship program | LEO apprenticeship team or Michigan Works! |
| Training for a lot of new hires | Your community college workforce office (New Jobs Training Program) |
| High school interns and future hires | Your ISD tech center CTE director |
| Reach families and job seekers choosing your field | Partner with Michigan Skills |
| Labor market data for your field | Michigan Center for Data and Analytics |
Common questions
How can Michigan employers get paid to train workers?
Three main ways. On-the-job training through Michigan Works! reimburses part of a qualifying new hire's wages during training, typically up to 50%. The state's Going PRO Talent Fund awards training grants, with the next round in early 2027. And the Michigan New Jobs Training Program lets community colleges train new hires at no upfront cost.
Source: 20 CFR 680.730
Do I need a work permit to hire a minor in Michigan?
Yes. Since Oct. 2, 2026, youth work permits come only from the state's Youth Employment Permit Portal, not from schools, and both the employer and the minor register. Minors already working for you don't need to re-register until they change employers or work locations, or turn 16.
Source: Michigan LEO