LANSING – State Representative Fred Miller (D-Mount Clemens), Chair of the House Appropriations Community College Subcommittee, today announced that he will be taking the subcommittee on the road for three hearings in the upcoming weeks.
"What we need first and foremost in our effort to boost our economy are new jobs and a highly-educated workforce," Miller said. "However, there is a gap between the kinds of jobs we have open in Michigan and the types of skills that many of our displaced workers have. I'm taking these hearings to community colleges around the state because I want to hear what residents and students at the colleges have to say."
The House Appropriations Community College Subcommittee will be holding hearings on:
- Tuesday, February 24, at 10:30 a.m. at Lansing Community College's Administration Building Board Room, 610 N. Capitol Ave. in Lansing.
- Monday, March 2, at 3 p.m. at the Delta College Board Room, room B151, 1961 Delta Road in University Center.
- Friday, March 6, at 10 a.m. at Macomb Community College in room K-301, South Campus, 14500 E. 12 Mile Road in Warren.
Miller, a chief architect of the Hire Michigan First job-creation plan, has made it his priority to create good-paying jobs for workers and to ensure that Michigan has a highly-trained workforce to compete for jobs in high-demand fields, like renewable energy and life sciences. He encourages all interested residents to attend the committee hearings to voice their opinions and concerns.
"We have the opportunity to make Michigan an economic powerhouse of the 21st century," Miller said. "But to do this, we have to be a hotbed for 21st century jobs. Community colleges are a great way for our workers who have lost their jobs to downsizing and outsourcing to get training in high-demand fields and make a fresh start."