Michigan's EV industry charges forward with bipartisan workforce development campaign
Photo courtesy of West Michigan Works!
Leaders of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and West Michigan Works! announced the state has surpassed its first-year campaign goal of recruiting and upskilling at least 1,000 workers to pursue new ready-to-hire production roles in tech-forward industries like electric vehicles and mobility. The achievement was highlighted at a bipartisan press conference held on Monday, March 18, at Shape Corp.'s Technology Center in Grand Haven. The event featured U.S. congresswoman Hillary Scholten, D-Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties, and Michigan state Sen. Roger Victory, R-Allegan and Ottawa counties.
The MEDC's recruitment campaign was developed with West Michigan Works! and leading Michigan businesses in electric vehicles and mobility, including Shape Corp., which has emerged as one of the state's champions in hiring electric vehicle and mobility industry-related workers.
"Michigan is among the first states in the nation with a talent consortium that has successfully identified the key skills and competencies employers need to succeed in the 21st century," said Kerry Ebersole Singh, Executive Vice President, Chief of Talent Solutions and Engagement Officer, MEDC. "No other state in the nation comes close to Michigan's hand-in-hand approach in terms of aligning business needs with education and training programs."
The campaign aligns with the "You Can In Michigan," a national marketing campaign that Gov. Whitmer launched last fall to grow the state's economy and attract and retain talent. As the largest state talent attraction campaign in the U.S., according to the MEDC, its early success in West Michigan is a positive indicator of its potential to achieve continued success across the state.
"Michigan put the world on wheels and it's Michigan that will keep us moving forward into a new frontier of automotive innovation," said U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, D-Michigan. "West Michigan, in particular, is showing us how it's done with two key components–strong business-led, private-public partnerships and people. We've got an incredible talent pool here, and a climate to make it even better. Through the transformative power of investing in infrastructure, we're creating good-paying jobs while setting our state up for long-term economic success."
Looking forward, the MEDC and its Talent Action Team, in collaboration with West Michigan Works! and other state officials, aim to fill more than 1,500 unique job openings in sectors like electric vehicle battery manufacturing.
"Our team works with economic development and community college partners across the region to offer workforce support and training dollars for business expansion or attraction projects, which bring new jobs to West Michigan," said Angie Barksdale, Chief Operations Officer, West Michigan Works!. "The proof of our success is on display today here at Shape Corp. Regional collaboration and problem-solving address talent, curriculum and advocacy issues on a broader level, resulting in a larger skilled labor pool and increased job placements."
For more information on the "You Can In Michigan" campaign, visit https://themichiganlife.org/.
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