Lansing business, education leaders discuss partnerships to close state's talent gap, prepare Michiganders to become lifelong learners

TED MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Olsen
517-290-7807 | olsend1@michigan

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan grows stronger when leaders from all sectors work together to develop innovative solutions that move our state forward, Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan Director Roger Curtis said today, kicking off the sixth Marshall Plan for Talent workshop with more than 150 business and education leaders in Lansing.

“The Marshall Plan for Talent is a conduit for collaborations and innovations that revolutionize Michigan’s education and talent development system,” Curtis said. “The Greater Lansing area has been a leader in bringing business and education together and today’s workshop is about building on those partnerships and developing stronger collaborations to better prepare Michiganders for the high-demand, high-wage careers of today and the future.”

Business, K-12 and higher education participants discussed needs, potential barriers and partnerships necessary to help form consortia that will allow them to apply for Marshall Plan funds.

The Marshall Plan is an additional $100 million investment in innovative programs to revolutionize Michigan’s talent and education system. It supports schools that want to transform education through programs like competency-based certifications, world-class curricula and classroom equipment, scholarships and stipends, and support for career navigators and teachers. The funding complements the more than $225 million in existing talent development efforts in the state.

With more than 212,000 career openings through 2024 in the health care sector alone, local health care organizations are excited about the opportunities the Marshall Plan will provide.

“As we work to fill the growing demand for top-notch health care talent, programs like the Marshall Plan for Talent will play an integral role in achieving that goal,” Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital CEO Matthew Rush said. “Most importantly, the Marshall Plan provides rural communities like ours an opportunity to collaborate with larger organization’s and institutions to create innovative programs that will provide homegrown talent for great-paying careers right here in our region.”

Education leaders agree.

“The Marshall Plan workshop presents an excellent opportunity for local business and educational leaders to continue the conversation around the urgency to close Michigan’s talent gap," Lansing Community College President Brent Knight said. "The initiative to develop a Talent Consortium is the collaborative effort needed to ensure that job seekers have the high demand skills necessary to fill available jobs in manufacturing and technology. This investment by the state of Michigan ensures that the Capital Region will remain innovative in its impact on technology.”

“Charlotte Public Schools understands and supports the Talent and Economic Development Department and the Marshall Plan,"  Charlotte Public Schools Superintendent Mark Rosekrans said. "As a school district we know that students need variety in their educational opportunities. Opportunities which are innovative, collaborative, rich in technological advancements and are based upon partnerships with businesses, industry and higher education. The Marshall Plan is another example of meaningful educational work to create the very best conditions for students to experience success with valuing lifelong learning, which, ultimately benefits everyone in Michigan."  

Through 2024, Michigan will have more than 811,000 career openings to fill in fields that are facing a critical talent shortage. As the state considers talent preparation changes for these fields, the greatest demand for talent will be in increasingly high-skill, high-tech fields such as in information technology and computer science, manufacturing, health care and other business and Professional Trades careers.

For more information about the Marshall Plan for Talent, visit www.michigan.gov/marshallplan.