Today, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) is announcing the launch of the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship, a new career training scholarship designed to help individuals gain skills needed to prepare for in-demand jobs.  

“Through programs like the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship, we are preparing Michiganders for rewarding careers in high-demand industries while supporting businesses with the highly skilled talent they need to compete and grow,” said Susan Corbin, director of LEO. “Investments like these are critical to helping fuel the jobs that are vital to our state’s economic momentum and our goals to expand economic prosperity to all.” 

The Skills Scholarship is backed by a $10 million investment through the state budget and adds on to the Michigan Achievement Scholarship launched by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year to lower the cost of higher education for Michiganders, starting with the class of 2023. Under the program, graduating high school students will be eligible to receive up to $4,000 over two years to attend an eligible career training program in Michigan. 

Eligible career training programs were selected to ensure students will receive training and skills that will ultimately lead to in-demand jobs with high paying wages.  

“There should be a path for every Michigan high school graduate to pursue education after high school, which is increasingly a necessity for good wages in high-demand jobs. The Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship provides yet another opportunity for students to pursue their dreams,” said Sarah Szurpicki, director of LEO’s Office of Sixty by 30. “As we continue to move Michigan forward, it is also helping get us closer to the state’s Sixty by 30 goal of having 60% of adults with an industry-recognized skill certificate or college degree by 2030.” 

To apply, interested students must complete an application through the Michigan Student Aid Student Scholarships and Grants portal (MiSSG), administered through the Michigan Department of Treasury.  

“The Michigan Achievement Scholarship has been a great addition to the breadth of tuition-assistance scholarships managed by MI Student Aid, reducing the costs for students to attend an eligible Michigan college or university by thousands of dollars,” said Diann Cosme, director of Student Scholarships, Grants and Outreach for the Treasury. “The Skills Scholarship offers another pathway to this program, and I encourage any student who has recently graduated with their high school diploma or equivalency to take the step to see if they qualify, view eligible programs and apply for this incredible opportunity.”   

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship, applicants must: 

• Be a Michigan resident for at least the immediately preceding year. 
• Have graduated from high school in Michigan with a diploma or a certificate of completion or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after. 
• Have not yet earned an associate or bachelor’s degree. 
• Have not yet earned a degree, certificate, or other credential with this scholarship. 

Students should review the list of eligible career training programs at Michigan.gov/CareerTraining prior to filling out their application and will need to indicate their chosen career training provider in the application.  

To learn more about how students can receive tuition assistance through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship visit Michigan.gov/Achievement.