Northern Michigan business, education leaders gather to discuss Marshall Plan partnership opportunities

Workshop held in Traverse City to help address questions, prepare area leaders to apply for plan’s funds

TED MEDIA CONTACT:
Erica Quealy
517-582-2961 | quealye@michigan.gov

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Business and education leaders must work together to connect Michiganders with the more than 811,000 high-demand, high-wage careers available through 2024 and ensure students are prepared to become lifelong learners, Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan Director Roger Curtis said today as more than 100 business and education professionals gathered at Networks Northwest in Traverse City, Michigan to discuss opportunities provided through the Marshall Plan for Talent.

As the Marshall Plan for Talent grant criteria is being finalized, state leaders are holding informational workshops around Michigan to help business and education leaders prepare to apply for the plan’s funds. Today’s participants discussed needs, potential barriers and partnerships to help form a talent consortium – a critical and necessary component in the application process.

“The Marshall Plan for Talent is a conduit for collaborations and innovations that revolutionize Michigan’s education and talent development system,” Curtis said. “It’s also a plan to better connect Michiganders with the high-wage, high-demand careers – growing their paychecks and the economy.”

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.

"Michigan businesses and communities alike are actively seeking ways to build their talent infrastructure as a means toward greater prosperity and resiliency,” Networks Northwest Chief Executive Officer Matt McCauley said. “Michigan's Marshall Plan for Talent is a proactive measure to better prepare students and workers for tomorrow's jobs. To ensure its success, Michigan's workforce development system, Michigan Works!, is dedicated to assisting business leaders and educators as they look to develop and foster the demand-driven skill sets necessary to succeed in this 21st Century economy."

Michigan will have more than 811,000 career openings to fill through 2024, 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, healthcare and other business and Professional Trades careers.

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