East Lansing – The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG) and the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources will confer certificates to individuals who have completed the Veterans to Agriculture Program, part of Gov. Granholm’s No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) initiative, an ambitious plan to train 100,000 citizens in three years for jobs in high demand occupations, and emerging industries or entrepreneurial endeavors.  The event will be held Friday, October 2, 2009, at 10:30 a.m., at the Kellogg Biological Station Auditorium, located at 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners.

DELEG’s Bureau of Workforce Transformation also collaborated with South Central Michigan Works!, the Michigan Veterans Foundation in Detroit, the Detroit Workforce Development Department, and the Volunteers of America in Lansing to identify eligible participants and help make this unique workforce training program such a success.

The four-week residential training program has prepared unemployed military veterans for agricultural jobs driven by demand of Michigan’s agricultural growers, specifically employers in the state’s Christmas tree industry.  Graduating workers are equipped with a strong foundation in the plant and soil sciences, equipment operation and general agricultural knowledge, and are prepared for certification in agricultural chemical spraying among other skills. The curriculum for the pilot program was developed by the MSU Institute of Agricultural Technology.  Training was conducted at the Kellogg Biological Station, an MSU research field station with a focus on fundamental and applied research in ecology and agriculture.

DELEG’s Bureau of Workforce Transformation Deputy Director Janet Howard and Dr. Eunice Foster, director of the Institute for Agricultural Technology will present certificates of completion.  Guests, partners and training providers will attend the ceremony.

EVENT:            Veterans to Agriculture Program Graduation

DATE:              Friday, October 2, 2009

TIME:               10:30 a.m.

LOCATION:      Kellogg Biological Station Auditorium
3700 East Gull Lake Drive
Hickory Corners, MI  49060

The meeting site and parking are accessible.  Individuals attending the ceremony are requested to refrain from using heavily scented personal care products, in order to enhance accessibility for everyone.  People with disabilities requiring additional accommodations (such as materials in alternative format) should call (517) 373-9280.   DELEG is an equal opportunity employer/program.