FLINT (AP) -- Mott Community College will be among community institutions selected to receive special funding to help workers reap the benefits of participation in the State of Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program.

State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township) has announced that the state has awarded $150,000 through the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program to the Career Pathway Academy for use in adult education programs. The Career Pathway Academy, which consists of Mott Community College, Faith Access to Community Economic Development, Flint Community Schools, Genesee County Literacy Coalition, Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Works! of Genesee and Shiawassee counties and Mott Adult High School, is one of 10 groups statewide sharing $2.5 million in a pilot project to help prepare adult learners to participate in the No Worker Left Behind program. 

Through NWLB, eligible Michigan residents can attend a community college or university tuition-free for two years to upgrade their skills so they can move into good-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields. More than 51,000 Michigan workers who are unemployed or underemployed have enrolled in the program in its first 17 months. To find out if they are eligible for the NWLB program, area residents can visit www.michigan.gov/nwlb.

"These funds will help our unemployed and underemployed residents move into good-paying jobs," said Hammel, Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, which oversees the No Worker Left Behind program. "In this struggling economy, we need to do everything we can to help people get back on their feet. I'm very pleased that workers in Genesee County will be able to take advantage of these funds."                                                          

Hammel played a key role in the process to bring these funds to Genesee County, which will be allocated to help area residents prepare for post-secondary education and training programs and give them the skills they need to succeed.

"These days, our workers need more training and education to ensure they have the skills they need to compete," Hammel added. "No Worker Left Behind gives our residents this opportunity by giving them the training they need to move into emerging industries like renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and many others. This is an investment in our workers that will get our economy moving in the right direction."

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