Macomb Community College lands $428K grant to grow defense industry

Macomb Community College has received a $428,000 grant from the New Economy Initiative to help spearhead growth of the defense industry in Metro Detroit.

The new initiative will coordinate regional stakeholders in both the federal and local governments with local employers and educational institutions, like Macomb Community College. The bottom line is to continue to grow the defense industry in its Macomb County base and develop the local workforce so it can fill the new jobs created.

"To date we have put 220 people to work," says Rick Bradley, the grant administrator at Macomb Community College in charge of this grant. "A lot of those jobs have been in machining or welding. Not all positions are knowledge workers."

The new initiative will be steered by the Defense Industry Strategy Task Force. The task force will hold monthly meetings to identify, prioritize, and develop strategies designed to position the southeast Michigan defense sector for growth.

Source: Rick Bradley, a grant administrator at Macomb Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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