The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site (www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, as is a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follows.
August 3, 2007
Full Radio Address Audio: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov104_Full_204722_7.mp3
Short Clip: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov104_Edit_204723_7.mp3
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
With globalization gripping our state's economy, we've set in motion a comprehensive plan to transform Michigan into a 21st century economic powerhouse. Our No Worker Left Behind initiative, which I announced this week in Traverse City, is putting our worker training efforts into overdrive.
I'm proud to announce that citizens across the state can take advantage of our No Worker Left Behind Web site. You can click your way to www.michigan.gov/NWLB (for No Worker Left Behind - NWLB) to learn more.
Here's how it works: For three years only, we are offering free training to workers who have lost their jobs, or who are ready to advance beyond low-skill jobs. With training, certification and job placement through No Worker Left Behind, Michigan workers can get good-paying jobs and fill existing job-openings. At the website, you can learn what industries and careers are in high-demand in your region, and you can see what training opportunities are available, and you can contact your local Michigan Works! Agency to take the first steps towards qualifying for free tuition in specific areas of need in our economy.
No Worker Left Behind is a huge step forward in Michigan's economic transformation. Even as I speak, there are tens of thousands of job openings in our state. But these are jobs that are tough to fill because they require training in very specific areas - like nursing or accounting or dental hygiene or auto mechanics.
No Worker Left Behind creates a bridge between Michigan citizens who need specific training and jobs in areas that are critical for economic growth. By training workers to fill existing job openings, No Worker Left Behind will help businesses thrive and push Michigan's economy forward.
When I announced No Worker Left Behind in Traverse City earlier this week, I met Brenda - who is a mother of three - who is going to benefit from the program. Brenda was laid off from a manufacturing job, but she wants to become a registered nurse. In Michigan, we are facing a nursing shortage - in fact, experts estimate that we will need 18,000 new nurses by 2015. With No Worker Left Behind, Brenda will get
free training to become a registered nurse, and she will get help with job placement when her training is complete.
There are thousands of people like Brenda across Michigan who can benefit from No Worker Left Behind. We're aiming to get 100,000 workers trained and placed in good-paying jobs in the next three years. What a boost this will be for Michigan citizens and for Michigan's economy!
So, wherever you are in Michigan, I hope that you'll visit our Web site and see what job openings and training opportunities exist in your area. Go to: www.michigan.gov/NWLB.
In Michigan, it's time for our people to stop getting left behind in this tough, global economy, and start getting trained. That's what No Worker Left Behind is all about.
Thank you for listening.
I
