Michigan Community College Makes Money-back Guarantee

Seemingly laughing in the face of the near-12 percent unemployment rate in its state, Lansing Community College in Michigan is brazenly guaranteeing its students jobs after they finish their coursework. And if not? Well, then students will get their tuition money refunded.

Here are the technicalities: The offer is only good for six-week courses in one of four vocations: call-center specialists, pharmacy technicians, quality inspectors and computer machinists. Also, the guarantee is only for a year after the course is completed.

Time has more details:

The money-back guarantee is only open to a total of 61 students in Lansing's pilot program. And the applicants are expected to be élite and competitive, says Ellen Jones, the college's director of public affairs. (All must have a high school degree.) Those who are accepted can't miss any class or assignments. They have to go through employability skill training and attend job fairs, and after they complete one of the six-week training courses, they must prove that they're actively applying for jobs. Though the college hasn't partnered with any companies to hire the newly minted trainees, Jones says she wouldn't be surprised if such arrangements come together down the road. "We've had employers who've heard about this call us," she says. "They want these people."

Interestingly—or, perhaps, sadly—none of these jobs seem to be specifically related to the once mighty Michigan car industry.

Photo (cc) via Flickr user Zach Klein.

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