MARQUETTE, MI-- Business officials and educators are hoping Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Michigan residents take advantage of the state’s new Michigan Reconnect program.
Reconnect would allow adults 25 and older who haven’t completed college to get a post-secondary degree or skills certificate at a community college tuition-free or at a deep discount.
37th District Senator Wayne Schmidt says the state must develop a skilled workforce to take on jobs now being created.
“Today, only 34 percent of Northern Michiganders and U.P. residents age 25 and older have an associate’s degree or higher. Nationwide, Michigan is 31st in post-secondary education and degrees.”
To be eligible for Michigan Reconnect applicants must have lived in the state for a year or more and have a high school diploma. People currently enrolled in a community college are also eligible for the program. In northern Michigan and the U.P., 395,000 residents would be eligible for the scholarship.
More than 40,000 people have applied for the program since its February 2 launch.
For more information go to www.Michigan.gov/reconnect.
