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Align Center for Workforce Development: Innovation Fellow Update
Randy Yagiela, Development Director, ACWD
The creation of the Align Center for Workforce Development (ACWD) was an innovative response to a critical gap in Lenawee County, Michigan’s workforce system. As a 2024 Innovation Fellow supported through Michigan State University’s REI program, I had the opportunity to help develop the ACWD to address the absence of a centralized resource dedicated to strengthening the county’s talent pipeline. Talent remains the number one challenge for communities’ economic sustainability. Lenawee is without a community college that normally satisfies the training needs of local employers and provides skills training for residents.
The ACWD opened in July 2025 after three years of collaborative dialog with community participation, including residents often not asked to be engaged in economic growth. One of the most important voiced needs was to establish the ACWD in Adrian, Michigan’s Greater East Side. Many residents in this community have the lowest median incomes in the county. Though state, regional, and local programs attempt to uplift residents’ skills, we see the need to be a catalyst, that coordinates and models collaboration with these resources. Our focus is empowering, equipping, and elevating people’s lives through building job skills.
2026 A Year of Initiatives
The ACWD’s program model is intentionally designed to center workforce development while building the community connections necessary to sustain long-term participation and success. At the core of this approach is a strong emphasis on relationship-building through community engagement. The ACWD event center serves as a critical entry point, hosting weddings, family gatherings, community meetings, and other events that bring residents into the space in an accessible and welcoming way. These interactions help establish trust and familiarity, creating natural opportunities to introduce workforce training, skill-building programs, and career pathways when individuals are ready to engage. To further reduce barriers to participation, the ACWD includes an on-site childcare room, ensuring that residents and parents can attend training programs and workforce development courses without the challenge of securing external childcare.
The Center also prioritizes the expansion of skilled trades training as a direct pathway to employment. The organization is actively working to secure funding for a dedicated skilled trades training center on its campus. In the interim, courses are offered off-site in high-demand fields such as floor installation, plumbing, and HVAC. These programs lead to nationally recognized certifications, equipping participants with industry-validated credentials that open doors to stable, well-paying employment opportunities. As workforce needs continue to evolve, the ACWD is planning an expanded suite of courses to align with regional labor market demands and create additional entry points into the skilled trades.
Complementing both community engagement and technical training is a strong business outreach strategy that ensures workforce development efforts are aligned with employer needs. Through partnerships with institutions such as Eastern Michigan University and the anticipated collaboration with Monroe County Community College, the ACWD delivers both standardized and customized training programs tailored to local industry demands. These partnerships enable the development of responsive training pipelines, ensuring that employers have access to a skilled workforce while residents gain relevant, employment-aligned skills. Together, these integrated efforts position the ACWD as a comprehensive workforce development hub that connects community members to opportunity while strengthening the regional economy.
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