Michigan ranks highly on several workforce measures, and apprenticeship completers reported a median wage of $89,260 one year after finishing. Statewide figures do not show outcomes for Farmington-area residents, while an audit raised questions about how some training funds were spent.
Michigan ranks No. 1 in its region for helping adults who use workforce development services find jobs, according to a state announcement. The figures also put the state among the national leaders in apprenticeships and credential attainment. They cover Michigan as a whole, not Farmington or Farmington Hills.
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, known as LEO, released the results with Michigan Works! agencies as they concluded a statewide series of workforce roundtables at West Michigan Works! in Grand Rapids.
Michigan ranks No. 4 nationally in active Registered Apprentices and No. 6 in new Registered Apprentices. The state reports an 84% credential attainment rate across its education and training pipeline, ranking No. 3 nationally among adults using workforce programs. Independent reporting has also covered Michigan's employment and apprenticeship rankings.
These rankings track different outcomes. One measures employment for adults using workforce services; another counts apprenticeship participation. Credential attainment is measured separately. Michigan Works! agencies connect job seekers with programs and help employers access workforce services. The state's workforce plan aims to help more residents earn certificates or degrees and reach middle-class careers.
For apprenticeship completers, the wage figures add another measure of what happens after training.
Michigan Labor Market Information reports that people who completed registered apprenticeship programs in 2024 had a median wage of $89,260 one year later. That statewide figure does not show what apprentices earn in a particular city or occupation.
The roundtable series visited 15 Michigan Works! agencies. Workforce partners and employers discussed business growth, along with ways to address companies' talent needs.
Participants also discussed barriers that can affect workforce participation. They included reliable high-speed internet and affordable child care. Menopause awareness in the workplace came up, as did preparation for an aging workforce. The visits covered the state's AI and the Workforce plan, but the announcement gave no specific changes or timelines resulting from the discussions.
For local information, the City of Farmington website provides municipal details. The City of Farmington Hills is another local civic institution. The Farmington Public Schools board is also part of the local landscape. The state announcement provides no municipal-level workforce outcomes, school-board actions or local program participation figures, so its rankings cannot be read as results for those communities. Michigan businesses face other pressures as well, including the reported farm cost pressures facing rural employers.
Questions also remain about how training funds are defined and monitored. WWMT News 3 reported that an audit identified about $60 million in potentially improper spending. The money went toward wages for employees who had already been hired, rather than training tied to a portable occupational credential. LEO said it did not intend to require new employees in on-the-job training to earn a credential. The department described the training as a way to build job-specific skills for ongoing full-time work. On-the-job instruction and portable credentials do not necessarily produce the same outcome.
Michigan has also worked to recognize skills people already bring to school. Jobs for the Future has described a state model that reimburses eligible colleges for each credit awarded to qualifying students for prior learning. That credit can connect work experience with formal education. The available information does not show how widely Farmington-area students use the option.
LEO Director Susan Corbin said the state plans to keep working with employers and partners to expand opportunity. Michigan Works! CEO Ryan Hundt argued that reducing support for established workforce programs would mean fewer residents gaining skills, and fewer businesses building talent in the state.
Michigan's workforce figures include a No. 1 regional ranking for employment among adults using workforce development services.
