The essential skills program is a series of courses that were created as a recommendation from Governor Snyder’s Economic Summit with funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Content and subject matter expertise were provided by Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and Metropolitan Affairs Coalition from their 2012 report: Lifelong Soft Skills Framework.

Soft skills are critical in finding and getting a career. Often they play a more important part in landing a job then the experience of an individual. Pure Michigan Talent Connect and Career Jump Start support the effort to improve and refine these skills through 14 on-line video and instruction.

The goal of this Lifelong Soft Skills eLearning series is to raise awareness among students and employees about key skills needed for workplace success. It encourages and suggests attributes that employers are looking for, and is not intended to address employer practices or labor management relations.
The four categories that these videos focus on are:

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Collaboration

• Creativity

Check out the complete series here! 

A natural gas boot camp program between Consumers Energy and Oakland Schools is helping the energy company meet a critical employment need while providing marketable skills and permanent jobs to interested high school graduates.   

“This partnership with Oakland Schools is a win-win for all. Part of our promise to Michigan is to help create good-paying technical jobs like the ones offered through successful graduation from this natural gas boot camp,” said Daniel Malone, senior vice president of distribution operations, engineering and transmission for Consumers Energy.  

Fourteen students successfully completed the six-week course designed in partnership with Oakland Schools and modeled after the Midwest Energy Association courses.

The boot camp was taught by an Oakland Schools Technical Campus instructor, and the 102-module course curriculum included safety education, understanding natural gas properties, utility construction as well as learning specific tasks performed by gas service technicians. Daily physical conditioning was part of the program to help prepare students for the physical aspect of these positions.

Consumers Energy provided subject matter experts throughout the boot camp and participated in mock job interviews with students.

Natural gas boot camp graduates who pass all pre-employment testing will be offered related positions with Consumers Energy. The next natural gas boot camp will begin this fall.