CMU President appointed to new Michigan Workforce Development Board
President Bob Davies smiles during a Martin Luther King Day ceremony march Jan. 20 in downtown Mount Pleasant.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer created the new Michigan Workforce Development Board comprised of 20 leaders, including Central Michigan University's very own President Bob Davies.
On May 29, Whitmer signed an executive order to construct the board.
"This board will be vital in continuing our efforts to grow both our workforce and our economy,” Whitmer said in a May 29 press release. “This group of leaders will be instrumental in bringing together efforts and partners from key industries to expand our workforce, economy and educational attainment efforts.”
Davies will sit on the board run by Jeff Donofrio, director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, with 19 other business, labor, government and education leaders in Michigan.
"Institutions of higher education have an important role to play in equipping students — at any and every point in their career journey — for success in the modern workplace," Davies said in June 2 press release. "Colleges and universities must work collaboratively with our private and public sector partners to identify and pursue goals that will drive innovation, improve our economic outlook and propel our state forward."
The board's key priorities include achieving the goal of 60% of the workforce having a postsecondary education by 2030, tuition-free community college for adults age 25 and older and grants for employers to train employees with new skills.
