LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Joined by leaders in education, business, labor, and workforce development, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Thursday launched a program to offer tuition-free college to frontline workers.
Futures for Frontliners, which the Governor says is the first of its kind in the nation, is expected to help an estimated 625,000 in Michigan.
The program offers Michigan adults without college degrees or high school diplomas, who provided essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic, a tuition-free pathway to gain new skills.
“This initiative is Michigan’s way of expressing gratitude to essential workers for protecting public health and keeping our state running,” Whitmer said. “Whether it was stocking shelves, delivering supplies, picking up trash, manufacturing PPE or providing medical care, you were there for us. Now this is your chance to pursue the degree or training you’ve been dreaming about to help you and your own family succeed.”
According to the Governor’s office, to be eligible for the program, applicants must:
Be a Michigan resident
Have worked in an essential industry at least part-time for 11 of the 13 weeks between April 1 – June 30, 2020
Have been required by their job to work outside the home at least some of the time between April 1 – June 30, 2020
Not have previously earned an associate or bachelor’s degree
Not be in default on a Federal student loan
Complete a Futures for Frontliners scholarship application by 11:59 p.m., Dec. 31, 2020
State officials says frontline workers should go to www.michigan.gov/Frontliners to explore career opportunities, a list of local community colleges, and get started on their application, even if they currently don’t have a high school diploma.
Futures for Frontliners is a $24 million investment that is funded by the Governor’s Education Emergency Relief (GEER) fund, which is part of the CARES Act. The Governor told reporters no money was being used form the current K-12 or college budgets in the state.
