New Business Takes Advantage of Free Training Funds
Miles Apiaries, a new state-of-the-art beekeeping business based in Waters, MI, will soon be bringing hundreds of jobs to Northern Michigan. They anticipate starting production by mid-September and will be in full production by October 1. In the early production stages they will operate with approximately 25 employees and hope to expand to 500 production staff in the coming years.
“We are very excited to bring manufacturing to northern Michigan. The reception we received from the Waters and Gaylord community has been absolutely fantastic,” states Jessie Miles, Owner and Founder of Miles Apiaries. “We partnered with Michigan Works to handle all our employment needs.”
To staff the new venture, Miles Apiaries enlisted the help of Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium. Michigan Works! assisted Miles with advertising their job openings, held a job fair at the Grayling service center, and offered the Gaylord and Grayling service centers for Miles to utilize for admin and interviewing purposes while awaiting their building completion. Michigan Works! also helped Miles secure on-the-job training funds (OJT) to train some of their new employees.
The on-the-job training program is designed to teach employees specific job skills under the supervision and guidance of the employer. To date, Michigan Works! has awarded Miles Apiaries three OJT contracts totaling $10,293. The training will be for maintenance, human resource, and secretarial staff. As Miles Apiaries continues to get off the ground, they plan to continue to use Michigan Works! services to assist with their employment needs.