All Smiles
Port Huron Career Center
Submitted by Christine Suiter
Paige came to Michigan Works! in October 2022 to inquire about training funds. She was interested in a career as a dental assistant but was struggling to figure out how to finance her education. Paige was working as a restaurant server with fluctuating hours and earnings and wanted to train for a stable career with a steady income. She determined that studying to become a dental assistant would provide the income and stability that she was seeking.
After successfully completing the suitability and enrollment process of the Young Professionals Program, Paige learned that she was eligible for tuition assistance from two funding sources. Tuition assistance from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Michigan Learning & Education Advancement Program significantly reduced her financial obligation for the training and removed the barrier of facing a large monthly payment once her career began. Paige enrolled in a hybrid dental assistant pro-gram at Ross Medical Education Center and was able to take classes remotely, participate in clinicals on-site, and continue to work to support herself.
All of Paige’s hard work paid off this spring when she successfully completed the dental assistant training and was offered a job at a dental clinic with a starting wage of $16 per hour. She is really enjoying the work and said that “Michigan Works! allowed me to not stress about the financials. I was able to fully focus on my schoolwork which helped me with my learning and grades.”
