Workforce & Training

Shiawassee positions your enterprise to get the most out of Michigan’s motivated, experienced workforce, putting scale and skill at your command, all at lower costs.

A workforce drawn from the biggest and best.

Shiawassee’s central location allows access to the major metro labor sheds including Detroit, Lansing, Flint and Saginaw. Draw your team from a labor pool of 1.5 million+ within a 50-mile radius, and discover easier recruitment and retention thanks to Shiawassee County’s lower costs of living and higher quality of life—even as lower labor costs in a low-union environment add room to your operational budget.

A community committed to workforce excellence.

Workforce preparation begins early in Shiawassee County, with future-focused K-12 curriculum reflected in achievements such as award-winning robotics programs. Shiawassee County goes the extra mile—and the extra millage—to support the value of career and technical education. In 2022, the County passed a CTE millage to fund the new state-of-the-art CTE Center, allowing for greater reach, coordination, and alignment in workforce development efforts. The Center is open to all 11th and 12th grade students—public, private and homeschooled—with qualifying grade point averages. Staffed by top-flight professionals, the Center provides centralization that removes barriers to enrollment while allowing better coordination and alignment with local industry.

A wealth of development support and resources.

Three area colleges keep general skill level high and bring custom training services to local industry.

• Baker College: Offers students work-centered learning toward certificates, associate and bachelor’s degrees in in-demand fields including MAT2 manufacturing, automotive and diesel technology, mechatronics IT cyber security, supply chain management and more.
• Lansing Community College: Ranked nationally in the top 12% in best community colleges, LCC offers 200 associate degree and certificates, in a range of fields from agricultural technology to computer technology to manufacturing technology and more.
• Mott Community College: Offers 61 associate degrees and 40 pre-associate certificates. Through its Regional Talent Initiatives, Mott keeps students and area business on the cutting edge of innovation, with a FABLAB digital fabrication providing critical experience in product development and prototyping.

And Shiawassee County sits within 90 miles of six national and global educational leaders including University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, all R1 classified institutions.

Stronger state support and coordination.

With programs like the Talent Action Team, Michigan is bringing public-private expertise and coordination to the state’s workforce and training ecosystem. GST Works is another powerful avenue for workforce training and placement, offering Going Pro Talent Funds to both new and existing industry. Shiawassee’s Midwest Bus recently leveraged Going Pro funding to train its workforce team in new technology and manufacturing protocols, including those for the BAE hybrid driving system.