By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-857382.mp3
LANSING, MI – Governor Granholm is asking the federal government for emergency funding to enroll more than 9,000 people in a job training program.
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Governor Granholm says over the past two years, 88,000 people have enrolled in the No Worker Left Behind program, but thousands more are waiting to learn new job skills.
The governor acknowledges finding work is tough in the state with the nation's highest unemployment rate. But she says No Worker Left Behind is preparing displaced manufacturing workers for jobs in the new economy and for the eventual recovery.
"So we want to make sure this model is successful, so we need additional funds to make sure workers can get this training," she said.
The state has asked for $58 million to meet the demand for worker retraining in the Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids areas. The governor says she's hoping for an answer within two weeks.