LANSING, MI (WTVB) – A recent state audit conducted by the Michigan Office of the Auditor General found that roughly $60 million in workforce training funds was misspent by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
According to the report, about $59.5 million allocated through the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund between 2022 and 2025 was used to reimburse employers for basic, on-the-job training and employee onboarding rather than funding advanced education or credentials.
The audit flagged this as a “material condition”—the most severe level of shortcoming—noting that approximately one-third of the program’s overall distributions failed to comply with state requirements meant to boost workers’ long-term skills and wages.
The findings have sparked immediate political blowback and oversight investigations as state officials grapple with Michigan’s decline to 39th in national educational attainment rankings.
While state lawmakers have criticized the lack of departmental oversight, which went nearly three years without completing file reviews, the state labor department has defended its practices.
Department representatives argued that on-the-job training is a nationally recognized method of upskilling workers, even if it does not culminate in a formal certificate. However, auditors have urged the legislature to tighten funding definitions, as the program’s budget faces sharp cuts moving into the next fiscal cycle.
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