News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena Community College Director of Financial Aid Robert Roose works at his computer Wednesday in VanLare Hall.

ALPENA — Several students have enrolled at Alpena Community College as part of the Michigan Reconnect program, college officials say.

Michigan Reconnect is a scholarship program designed to help qualifying Michigan residents 25 and older earn a certificate or associate degree.

College President Don MacMaster said eight students in the Michigan Reconnect program have enrolled for the summer semester and there are 26 students enrolled for the upcoming fall semester.

“We’ll get quite a few more between now and the end of August for sure,” MacMaster said of when the fall semester begins.

Eligible students must be 25 years and older, have a high school diploma, have been a Michigan resident for at least one year and have not yet completed a college degree.

The program is a last dollar scholarship program, which means it would cover the cost of tuition for in-district students after federal student aid and other grants and scholarships have been applied.

Qualifying students who live in Alcona, Montmorency, and most of Presque Isle counties are considered out-of-district students after federal student aid and other grants and scholarships have been applied.

Alpena Community College Director of Financial Aid Robert Roose said there is still time to enroll in Michigan Reconnect before the fall semester begins.

Roose said after an applicant is approved for the program, they will have to fill out a college application and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Those interested in applying can visit michigan.gov/reconnect to apply for the program.

Michigan Reconnect, which launched in February, is designed to address a widening skills gap within the state’s workforce.

So far, the program has been well-received across the state.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced more than 70,000 applicants are set to benefit from the program, which has surpassed the state goal of 60,000 applicants by Memorial Day.

More than 15,000 of those applicants have already enrolled in community college.

Reconnect Michigan is different from the Futures for Frontliners program, which allowed essential workers to apply for free college tuition if they hadn’t earned a degree, but worked in an essential industry during the pandemic.

MacMaster said 132 frontliners attended college this spring, 28 frontliners are currently enrolled in the summer semester, and 70 front liners have registered for classes in the fall.

Both programs support Michigan’s goal to increase the number of working age adults with a skill certificate or college degree from 45% to 60% by 2030.