Detroit — Mayor Mike Duggan will hold his annual charter-mandated community meeting on Monday, where he will showcase $100 million in job training opportunities.
The presentation will take place Monday at 7 p.m. in City Hall, the 13th floor auditorium inside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center at 2 Woodward Ave. for those who wish to attend in person and live online on detroitnews.com and Detroit’s Channel 21.
He is expected to walk the Detroiters step by step through the involvement process. Among the programs are courses that pay Detroiters $10 an hour to learn basic math and reading skills, and/or earn their high school diploma or GED. The city also offers hybrid training where Detroiters can earn $15 an hour for three days of on-site work and two days of classroom training per week to earn a GED, diploma or technical certifications.

In total, the city offers 35 job training programs in growing industries such as skilled trades, healthcare, information technology, trucking and logistics through www.detroitatwork.com, the development center of the city’s workforce. Entry-level opportunities are estimated to be available within 48 hours of registration. Those who wish to hone their skills will learn within two to four weeks.
After his presentation, the mayor and his team will answer questions from those present in person or virtually, including members of the city council.
“The first step is always tough for anyone trying something big and new,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, Jobs Group Director, Economy and Detroit At Work. “What you’ll hear on Monday are the steps you can take to connect to a very different future than the one you’re living in right now. It’s the first step that’s always hard and we’re going to make it easy for you. .”
The $100 million in scholarships are funded by pandemic relief dollars. Detroit received $826 million through the American Rescue Plan Act, which must be spent by 2024.
“There are Detroiters who believe they’ve been left behind and we think it’s just that we haven’t been clear enough on the path forward,” Sherard-Freeman said. “We know that one of the best ways to reach people is to hear from people like them, so it’s them you’ll be hearing from Monday too.”
8,400 jobs available
Earlier this month, Duggan held a press conference to celebrate that the city’s unemployment rate had fallen below 7%, the first time since 2000. But two experts warned that the fall in unemployment was more due to a reduction in the active population than to an increase in employment.
The mayor said even greater progress is possible with 8,400 jobs available. He attributes the trend to “success in attracting high-paying jobs to Detroit.”
“For the first time in my life, we have a job available for every Detroit that wants one,” he said.
This year, the city is expected to add an additional 1,200 jobs to the Amazon fulfillment center at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds and open a new job center at the site of AMC’s former headquarters, which is expected to provide up to 400 jobs. Lear’s new seating facility at the site of the former Cadillac stamping plant is also expected to achieve full employment of at least 400 people.
How to watch virtually
srahal@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @SarahRahal_