Training
Incumbent Worker Program
The Oakland County Michigan Works! Agency’s (MWA) Incumbent Worker Program (IWP) is designed to avert layoffs. As a part of the MWA’s overall layoff aversion strategy, the Incumbent Worker Program will retraining or skills upgrading to specific employers or industries that:
- are experiencing a decline and have the potential to undergo layoffs, or
- are experiencing a skills gap that impacts their ability to compete and retain workers, or
- are implementing new organizational strategies that have the potential to avert layoffs, or
- have the potential to avert layoffs by serving as a catalyst, for additional economic and workforce development, and result in additional economic benefits to Oakland County and state of Michigan. Examples of catalysts for economic/workforce development include:
*Employers/industries that link workforce policies to economic development policies in priority industry sectors (e.g., green jobs, emerging sectors including advanced manufacturing, health care, skilled trades, life sciences, homeland security, and other industries of state or regional importance).
*Employers/industries that foster and/or further the development of Michigan Regional Skills Alliances (MiRSAs), or existing Regional Skills Alliance-like entities that provide a coherent method for addressing local employers’ concerns about worker shortages, skill shortages, training mismatches, or other workforce challenges.
The employer-conducted assessment will demonstrate that the company is experiencing a skills gap that impacts their ability to compete and retain workers. As appropriate, specific employers will also document this circumstance on the MWA’s “Incumbent Worker Program Application”.
If you are interested in more information or would like to apply for the Incumbent Worker Program, please contact Oakland County Michigan Works at 1-248-858-5520. Your company will be assigned to one of Oakland County’s nine Michigan Works! offices.