by: WOODTV.com staff
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday the state is launching an initiative to offer tuition-free college for those who provided essential services while Michigan was under the stay-at-home order.
Whitmer said the new 'Futures for Frontliners', inspired by the GI Bill that funded the education of those who served during World War II, is aimed at helping workers who provided essential services who don’t have college degrees or high school diplomas.
She added the program can be used to complete high school education or earn a community college or a skills certificate.
People who may qualify includes those who worked in the medical field, manufacturing, nursing homes, grocery stores, sanitation, delivery and retail. The state says an estimated 625,000 people could benefit from the program.
Although the governor ordered most people to stay at home during the height of the pandemic, workers providing essential services were still permitted to come to work.
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