Workforce Development

Cincinnati – September 19, 2026 -- Advantage Technical, a Staffmark Group company, announced that Evan Nedwick, a contract professional placed with Ford Motor Company, has been named a 2027 National Staffing Employee of the Year All-Star for the Engineering, Information Technology, and Scientific sector by the American Staffing Association (ASA).

A decade-long placement outlasted a 2021 restructuring

Nedwick joined Advantage Technical in 2015, initially supporting Ford's Interior/Exterior Prior Approval team after starting his career as a technician at a Ford dealership. When his role was eliminated during a 2021 restructuring, Advantage Technical redeployed him into Ford's mobile service operations, where he has since expanded his responsibilities.

Tulsa, Okla. – September 18, 2026 -- Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) has named the winners of its 2026 Alliance Coal Scholars Program, bringing cumulative awards under the initiative to $627,000 distributed to 283 college-bound students and teachers since 1997.

Top three seniors secure $2,000 renewable scholarships

Emalee Barton of Frankfort Community High School, daughter of Hamilton County Coal, LLC employee Tony Barton, will attend John A. Logan College. Paige Mullis of F.J. Reitz High School, daughter of Matrix Design Group, LLC employee Brett Mullis, will enroll at the University of Southern Indiana. Addy Sutton, a Sutton Homeschool graduate and daughter of CR Services, LLC employee George Sutton, will attend Southeastern Illinois College.

Kansas City – September 18, 2026 -- KanEquip, Inc. has opened its first dealership dedicated exclusively to JCB equipment in Kansas City, expanding its footprint beyond the six existing Kansas locations that carry the brand.

KanEquip enters Kansas City after Trane's acquisition of CSTK creates market opening

The sale of Central States Thermo King (CSTK) to Trane, Inc. left a gap in local JCB support in Kansas City, which KanEquip moved to fill. The company said retaining CSTK's experienced staff, some employed since 2014, was the primary driver behind the market entry, citing their established knowledge of JCB equipment and rental-house customer relationships.

Phoenix – September 18, 2026 -- Ninety-eight percent of managers who directly supervise University of Phoenix graduates report overall satisfaction with those employees, and 97% say they would likely hire another University of Phoenix graduate in the future, according to new research from The Harris Poll commissioned by the university.

Harris Poll surveys 408 U.S. managers to benchmark employer experience

The Harris Poll conducted an online survey from June 4-25, 2026, among 204 U.S. managers supervising at least one University of Phoenix graduate and 204 managers supervising graduates from other colleges and universities. Of 1,796 individuals contacted, 96% met screening requirements (n=1,728), and 24% of the qualified sample completed the survey. Results carry a Bayesian credible interval of ±8.6 percentage points for the University of Phoenix group and ±8.0 percentage points for the benchmark group at a 95% confidence level.

Alexandria – September 18, 2026 -- The American Staffing Association (ASA) named Dr. Aline Milfort, a licensed school psychologist with National Recruiting Consultants (NRC), its 2027 National Staffing Employee of the Year, kicking off National Staffing Employee Week, Sept. 14-20.

ASA recognizes millions of temporary and contract workers placed annually across U.S. staffing agencies

The award, sponsored by StaffPro 3, a division of PMC Insurance Group, spotlights Dr. Milfort's work serving 10 campuses across North Houston, Texas. Since joining NRC in 2023 after earning her doctor of psychology degree in 2022, she has provided special education support through a contract role with Aldine Independent School District.

Scobey, Montana – September 17, 2026 -- Daniels Memorial Healthcare Center, a full-service rural hospital in northeast Montana, is expanding a student-to-employee training pipeline as it plans a new hospital facility to counter chronic nursing shortages in frontier communities. The 1952-founded facility will be featured in an upcoming segment of the Public Television series "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," which examines how local workforce development sustains emergency and primary care access in isolated regions.

Plymouth, Wis. – September 17, 2026 -- Carbliss, the ready-to-drink cocktail maker that has sold more than 300 million cans since 2019, has signed a partnership with Dale Carnegie of Eastern Wisconsin to deliver twice-yearly leadership and communication training to its entire national team starting next year.

Carbliss formalizes a longstanding coaching relationship into a company-wide program

The initiative, led by Corrina Molinaro, Director of Human Resources at Carbliss, builds on a personal relationship between Dale Carnegie of Eastern Wisconsin owners Steve Bobowski and Renee Martin and Carbliss co-founders Adam and Amanda Kroener. That coaching has already influenced parts of the Carbliss organization before the partnership was made official.

Irving, Texas – September 17, 2026 -- Michaels plans to hire more than 10,000 seasonal Team Members across the U.S. and Canada, with National Hiring Day events set for Saturday, September 12, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time at all store locations.

Nearly half of last year's seasonal hires converted to permanent roles

Michaels reported that nearly 50% of seasonal in-store positions transitioned into regular roles following the 2025 holiday season, creating pathways into store leadership and Support Center teams. The company operates over 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada.

Candidates can apply online or interview in person during the hiring event

Applicants may submit applications in advance through Careers.Michaels.com or attend in-store events on September 12, where qualified candidates will be interviewed on the spot.

Osnabrück – September 16, 2026 -- Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior has cut budgeted funding for mandatory integration courses to 590 million euros for 2027, down from nearly 1 billion euros in 2026, a reduction of roughly 41%.

Funding cut will finance only 150,000 participants next year

According to the ministry's response to a parliamentary inquiry from the Green Party, obtained by Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, the 590 million euro allocation for 2027 covers just 150,000 course participants. That compares with more than 400,000 people who completed the courses in 2025; final 2026 enrollment figures have not yet been released.

Brookings, S.D. – September 16, 2026 -- Northern Tool + Equipment has launched its fourth annual student vehicle build program at Flandreau Indian School, tasking 14 career and technical education (CTE) students with transforming a 1976 Ford F-350 utility truck into a rolling showcase of skilled-trades careers for display at the 2027 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Build IV marks the program's first placement at a tribal school and its first gender-balanced student team

Half of the Flandreau Indian School Build Team is female, a program first for Northern Tool's four-year-old initiative. Students will handle welding, fabrication, automotive repair, paint, bodywork and design work on the truck throughout the 2026-2027 school year, working directly alongside industry professionals rather than watching contractors complete the work.