College receives $317,477 grant to help working-age students earn postsecondary credentials

November 13, 2024

Grand Rapids, MI (November 13, 2024) — The Michigan Center for Adult College Success has awarded a grant of $317,477 to support Jackson College’s efforts to help more working-age adults obtain the postsecondary degrees that open doors to opportunity in a knowledge-based economy.

The grant was one of nine awarded through The Center’s competitive $6.4 million Innovation Investment Awards program. Jackson College will use the funding to promote competency-based education by piloting a manufacturing certificate program and expanding a medical insurance coder biller program with an open-entry, open-exit online model.

“This grant will provide us the opportunity to offer more personalized and flexible programs for students,” said Dean of Workforce, Technical and Professional Education Jamie Vandenburgh. “Funds will be used to support faculty in curriculum and program development both in the credit and workforce areas. The new programs are set to pilot in 2026.”

Funded by the Legislature and administered by The Center, the Innovation Investment Awards support bold advances toward Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree from 51.1% today to 60% by 2030.

“Congratulations to Jackson College and all the grantees for recognizing that knowledge and skills are the currencies of the modern employment market,” said Kevin Stotts, president of TalentFirst, which launched The Center in 2023. “Employer demand for well-trained workers is only going to grow. Helping more adults obtain postsecondary credentials is how we open the door of opportunity for Michigan families.”

As detailed in The Center’s 2023 landscape analysis, Adult Postsecondary Education in Michigan, adult students face more complicated obstacles to completion than recent high school graduates, including balancing family and work responsibilities.

“It is exciting to see how these grant proposals took systemic approaches to addressing the barriers adult learners face,” said Jeremy Hendges, executive director of The Center. “These evidence-based, innovative approaches are what we need in order to provide adults with a college environment that will support them in obtaining the degrees and credentials they need to succeed.”

Many of the proposals got their start in another innovation: the Michigan-Regional Adult Initiative for Skills and Education Design Lab, created by The Center to provide an environment for college and university leaders to devise systemic improvements to the ways they serve working-age students.

The Center will continue working with grantees as they launch their initiatives — and to share insights that can benefit adult students and postsecondary institutions statewide.

“These awards are just the beginning of a transformation we need to continue driving across Michigan,” said Todd Gustafson, chair of The Center’s Governing Council and president and CEO of Kinexus. “This is an opportunity for everyone to win: postsecondary institutions, employers, and the families across Michigan.”

Learn more about the Innovation Investment Awards and see the full list of grantees: http://mcacs.talentfirst.net/news/

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About The Michigan Center for Adult College Success
The Michigan Center for Adult College Success is the state’s primary resource to improve the enrollment and completion of postsecondary education by adults. As an initiative of TalentFirst, our goal is to meet the statewide need for a skilled workforce. The Center collects research, shares best practices, funds innovative pilots and provides technical assistance. We partner with a wide range of educators, business leaders and policy makers toward our shared goal of helping more adults get the credentials they need to reach their full potential, so our state can thrive. Learn more at http://mcacs.talentfirst.net/

About TalentFirst
TalentFirst is a premiere alliance of West Michigan CEOs who are joined by HR leaders, educators, workforce leaders, and policymakers to collaborate on an unmatched scale for the benefit of all who live and work in the region. As a data-driven organization, TalentFirst provides practical, proven resources, strategies, tactics, advocacy and accountability to improve the recruitment, development and retention of talent in West Michigan. Learn more at http://talentfirst.net/