• MiRSAs seek to resolve systemic and structural problems by working at a multi-firm, industry-based level.
• MiRSAs are regional in nature and reflect the local labor market. Participating firms draw on a regional labor pool of people who live and work in the region. (“Regional” refers to the geography of labor markets.  At a minimum, MiRSA’s should cover a county.)
• Employers who participate in such alliances tend to see the business climate as friendly and supportive, an important consideration in location decisions.
• MiRSAs engage all appropriate public and private stakeholders in collaborative problem-solving.
• These stakeholders are brought together by a convener, an organization that is acting in part as an organizer but is also a partner with expertise in the issue area.
• Industry sectors in which MiRSAs are formed are a significant part of the local economy, but they need not be the principal industry of the area.

The State of Michigan’s objective for the MiRSA initiative is to assist local areas in developing industry-based partnerships that will promote the economic health and welfare of areas’ businesses and workers.  Michigan intends to stimulate and support the development of regional skill alliances with the overall goal of providing Michigan employers with a highly skilled workforce and Michigan citizens with careers with good wages and opportunity.  Firms that continually upgrade the skills of their employees are more likely to remain competitive and healthy than those that do not.  As industries in a region prosper, they tend to attract suppliers who benefit from the proximity to their customers and similar businesses that benefit from the availability of skilled workers.

• MiRSAs will focus on the needs of a single industry within a region and multiple employers in that industry;
• Conveners of the MIRSA will be key players in the community who have a role in solving the workforce needs in the industry and a role in addressing the need for good jobs by community residents;
• MiRSAs will focus on the workers or potential workers at the lower wage end of the industry and work to improve opportunities in those jobs as well as in jobs at higher levels in the career ladder; and
• MiRSAs will achieve systemic changes in the industry and workforce that have mutually beneficial results for employers, workers, and the community.

Economic change is occurring at an ever-increasing pace.  Globalization of the economy, rapid technological change, and changes in labor force demographics are among the major factors affecting businesses and workers in the 21^st Century.  Many employers find it difficult to remain competitive.  They may face a number of human resource problems such as replacing an aging workforce, finding entry-level workers with the required skills and knowledge, providing training to their current workers, retaining high-quality employees, and adopting new workplace practices.

In a rapidly changing economy, workers, too, face similar problems.  Workers with “good” jobs are not guaranteed to have such jobs for life.  They must continue to acquire and maintain the skills desired by employers.  Individuals with lower incomes and perhaps less consistent engagement in the workforce may need to find jobs with promotion potential in order to improve their income and living standards.  Every person in the labor force needs to have accurate and relevant information in order to make good decisions on training choices and job opportunities.

MiRSAs can help respond to these critical economic realities.  They can act to identify and define specific needs of employers and workers in a more accurate and timely manner.  Once the needs are identified, they can serve as a forum for reaching agreement on the appropriate response to those needs.  And finally, the MiRSA can monitor the responses as they are implemented and coordinate any adjustments that may become necessary over time.