Michigan Works! Now Accepting Healthcare Scholarship Applications

A grateful Ben Newington promised he would “pay it forward by giving quality care to those who are sick and in trauma,” as he accepted his scholarship award for full tuition, books and fees to Southwestern Michigan College’s Registered Nursing program. Newington is a Michigan Works! Healthcare Scholarship recipient, an initiative that will train over 100 local healthcare workers with skills and certification upgrades over a three-year period.

“Ben represents our ideal scholarship candidate” stated Todd Gustafson, Executive Director for Michigan Works!. “With over ten years experience as a paramedic, he has the basic skills and experience necessary to transition successfully into an RN program.” The initiative is based on this Career Ladder strategy, which backfills employment vacancies created within occupations while training to promote current employees. “The ladder concept, upon which much of this grant depends, recognizes a student’s previous education, allowing him or her to automatically transition to the upper level of the nursing program,” stated Dr. David Mathews, President of Southwestern Michigan College.

The Healthcare Scholarship Initiative is funded by a $1.9 million Community Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. According to Gustafson, Congressman, Fred Upton was instrumental in obtaining the grant. “We’re fortunate that Congressman Upton has been proactive in supporting innovative approaches to workforce development challenges in Southwest Michigan. Michigan Works is grateful for his help in securing this crucial training resource.”

The initiative is in response to an ever-increasing demand for healthcare workers. “Ultimately this is the quickest and most efficient method for alleviating the industry’s workforce shortage,” explains Gustafson. According to tri-county labor market information, healthcare jobs have increased by at least 17% in the last five years. The healthcare industry is the area’s third largest employer.

A $555,000 capacity-building component of the grant has been distributed to two local community colleges to help them develop new curricula, hire and train staff and purchase necessary equipment and supplies. Both Lake Michigan College and Southwestern Michigan Colleges each have a plan for the capacity-building portion of their grants.

"The timing of this grant will allow us to further utilize our newly opened, state-of-the-art Nursing Education Center by hiring and training additional staff and purchasing supplies, thereby increasing our capacity for more students," stated Lake Michigan College Executive Dean of Career Education, Robert Harrison. They are currently recruiting students for their eight-credit Basic Emergency Medical Technician course offered at their Napier Avenue and South Haven Campuses. “Becoming an Emergency Medical Technician can be the first step to a rewarding career in the medical field,” stated Harrison.

Southwestern Michigan College will use their capacity grant to fully stock a training ambulance donated to SMC last winter. “The ambulance will be used for real-life training and evaluation purposes for the EMT, paramedic and nursing students,”said Elaine Foster, Dean of Academic studies and the School of Nursing and Human Services at SMC. “With the increased availability of equipment, SMC plans to graduate up to twenty Emergency Medical Technician’s, twenty Paramedics, and twenty Registered Nurses annually. This equates to a potential total of sixty additional students across all the educational tracks per year.”

To apply for a scholarship, a student must first be admitted to a healthcare program at either Southwestern Michigan College or Lake Michigan College and fill out an application at any tri-county Michigan Works! Service Center.

Michigan Works is a non-profit organization serving employers and jobseekers through offices in Benton Harbor, Buchanan, Dowagiac, Paw Paw and South Haven. They aim to strengthen the regional economy through Workforce Development. For more information about how to apply for the scholarship, contact Taresha Coleman, at 1-800-533-5800. ###