October 10, 2013 

Delta Chamber Annual Dinner

Join the final party in honor of

Escanaba's 150th Birthday

at the Chamber Annual Dinner

Social 5:30 I Dinner 6:30

Island Resort and Casino

Dinner followed by:

• Chamber Board Induction Ceremony
• Delta Force Graduation
• Community Awards Ceremony

Register HERE

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October 18, 2013 

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Hands-On Experience in Construction and Industrial Trades Careers for Local Youth

The 2013 Industrial Trades Career Day (ITCD) will be held on October 3, 2013 in the Ruth Butler Building located at the U.P. State Fairgrounds.  The Industrial Trades Career Day will be an exciting, hands-on opportunity for high school students to experience the construction industry and the great careers it offers. Students of all abilities who want the rewards of a high paying job, with results that they can see, are encouraged to attend.

Students will participate in demonstrations of bricklaying, concrete finishing, welding, carpentry, iron working, and other trades. Students and counselors will discover that the construction industry is a great profession. Whether they are interested in carpentry or calculus, mechanics or mathematics, business or blueprints, there are opportunities for everyone.

Did you know that the number of construction jobs in the U.P. is projected to grow at a rate higher than the rest of the state?  In fact all U.P. jobs in the industrial trades will outpace the rest of the state when it comes to percentage of job growth over the next two years.  Most apprenticeship training programs are tuition free and apprentices earn money while they are learning.  When you are accepted into a certified apprenticeship program, you receive classroom training from instructors with practical experience, and the average apprentice earns about $12 an hour, plus benefits during on-the-job training.  Apprenticeship training lasts three to five years depending on the trade.  Projected job growth and accessibility to training make this an important opportunity for future jobseekers to consider. 

The Industrial Trades Career Day is a cooperative effort between partnering organizations such as the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, Delta-Schoolcraft ISD, Upper Peninsula Construction and Skilled Trades Regional Skills Alliance, Michigan Works! The Job Force Board, local trades, and support from area schools.

The inaugural Industrial Trades Career Day (ITCD) took place in October of 2006 at the NewPage Facility in Escanaba with an audience of 212 Delta and Schoolcraft County students.  The following ITCD took place in 2008 and was held in Marquette for Marquette and Alger schools and saw over 200 students participate with over 19 trades displayed.  In 2010 the ITCD was held at the Mountain View Ice Arena in Iron Mountain and provided over 400 Dickinson and Iron County High School students, along with the neighboring schools of Florence and Niagara, an opportunity to explore career opportunities within the trades. 

"Due to retirements and job growth in the industry, we will be experiencing a manpower shortage," commented Tony Retaskie, Executive Director of the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, and Michigan Works! Job Force Board member.  "It is important for us to spread the word to students across the Upper Peninsula that there are high-paying jobs right here in the U.P."

Activities like the ITCD are taken on by future talent development partners and strive to solve workforce supply and demand issues.  Strategic planning and measurement of trends in the workforce help to identify the threats that we will face in the future, and implement strategies and tactics to address them.  The ITCD is an important activity that supports the efforts of local stakeholders and addresses the needs of our community. For more information contact Tony Retaskie at (906) 786-1573. 

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Selling to the State of Michigan

  Contracting with the State of Michigan

• How to register as a vendor 
• Where to find contracting opportunities 
• Free resources for research & bid preparation 
• Expectations of state bid proposals 
• How bids are evaluated and approved

 

 

 

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October 30-31, 2013 

LSSU Walker L. Cisler Center

650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste Marie MI 49783