General Electric plans to hire an additional 300 people at its Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center in Van Buren Township, Mich., and to boost internships by 25 percent in the state. GE committed to hiring 1,100 people at the suburban Detroit center at its inception in 2009. So far, it has hired 850 engineers and IT professionals. This latest announcement brings its hiring pledge to 1,400 at the center and 1,600 across the state. According to its press release:

These new jobs will build on GE's recent $163 million investment in the Detroit area, and focus on bringing together IT experts in software development, data architecture, business intelligence, and program management, as well as researchers developing future manufacturing technologies for the next generation of aircraft engines.

The company also will hire 110 students for internships and co-op programs at the center this summer in engineering, IT, finance and supply-chain operations. GE has been opening technology centers around the country lately, most recently in New Orleans, La., but also in Glen Allen, Va., and San Ramon, Calif. The company recently announced grants of $500,000 to Detroit health care centers that provide care for uninsured and under-served people. With its shareholders meeting under siege from protesters questioning its tax rate – or lack of one – GE could use some good PR. In other good news for Michigan, Toyota has announced it will hire 150 people, including engineers and researchers, at Toyota Technical Center's two facilities near Ann Arbor. It's also opening an office in Mountain View, Calif.