GMCA receives Grant from The Midland Area Community Foundation

Midland, Michigan (July 2020)- The staff and the Board of Directors of The Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) are pleased to announce it has received a $50,000 Grant from the Midland Area Community Foundation to support the Crossroads Project. 

The Greater Michigan Construction Academy and The Midland Area Community Foundation are partnering on a skilled trades pre-apprenticeship program located at The Greater Michigan Construction Academy to provide construction opportunities for citizens in the greater Midland area. 

Throughout the program, community members, local construction company owners, and safety experts will have a presence in the program to share their knowledge and expertise with the participants.

“While there are many initiatives making some strides in filling the gap in the skilled trades industry this is an area we’ve excelled in for over 40 years. We’ve appreciated partnerships in the past, but GMCA is much better at directly recruiting and training those interested in the building trades and not simply being a conduit” said Stephanie Davis, President of GMCA. “This grant from The Midland Area Community Foundation provides the funding tools for the next two years that will offer accessible training to citizens that haven’t had the opportunity. We’re going to fix that.” 

The grant will address the increasing gap between those populations with limited access/opportunity and few if any compatible skills to meet job opening demands in the near future in commercial/residential skilled trades.  GMCA will recruit, train and place pre-apprentices into the construction industry. The training will provide not just necessary skills but also NATIONAL certifications and credentials that will increase employability skills, promote continued learning, and pay increases for enhanced competencies. The curriculum focuses on what weaknesses in math, reading, communications, soft skills and other impairments that may be barriers to employment. 

The Midland Area Community Foundation provides philanthropic leadership to strengthen our community by fostering collaboration and giving today and in the future.

The Greater Michigan Construction Academy is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is a nationally certified training program using the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum making the training portable nationwide for students completing modules. The curriculum is recognized by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Training.