New jobs are coming to southeast Michigan, an area that has an 18 percent unemployment rate prompted by the downturn in the economy and its affect on the local auto industry.
But the encouraging news has a potential sticking point: Many of the expected applicants lack the skills needed for the new jobs.
So what are the new jobs emerging in southeast Michigan? They are mainly contracting and acquisition positions in the defense industry. The number of jobs available in the defense sector continues to grow nationally, with Michigan on schedule to receive a portion of these new positions. Through the federal 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, about 1,200 positions will transfer from Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., to Warren, Mich.
In addition to the government positions, private industry jobs are also growing. Several private defense contracts, such as General Dynamics Land Systems and BAE, have recently broke ground on new buildings, which will increase the number of available jobs.
Aside filling new positions, retiring baby boomers will create gaps in the workforce. For example, half of the workforce at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich., is eligible for retirement.
In her 2007, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm unveiled the
No Worker Left Behind (NWLB)
free
tuition program to help displaced Michigan workers get retrained for new careers. The vision for NWLB is to accelerate worker transitions through learning, support the state’s employers and economic development needs, and align the use of existing training resources.
An innovative approach was needed to solve both the problem of a future talent shortage facing Michigan’s defense agencies and the existing critical mass of displaced workers. The
Southeast Michigan Educational Partnership was formed to offer a deliberate, thoughtful talent management/human capital strategy. It is also designed to meet all three of the governor’s requirements.
In March, partnering organizations that included community colleges, universities, businesses, contractors and government agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to align with projected goals. The program will:
- Deploy in metropolitan areas suffering from high unemployment, such as Flint, Warren and Wayne County
- Tap federal and state funds, such as NWLB
- Align with regional government agencies, area industries and educational providers
- Establish robust recruiting strategy at multiple levels
- Target regions with high rates of displaced auto industry workers
- Attract and retain high-caliber college students and industry personnel to work in southeastern Michigan
- Provide access to training that helps accelerate learning
- Gain access and influence over what will become one of the most sought after talent pools as the baby boomers leave the job market
- Offer new career opportunities for government personnel whose jobs have limited advancement
- Serve disabled military veterans, many of whom are returning from duty in the Middle East and seeking careers outside the military
Partnering educational institutions will work closely with the
Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to offer brick-and-mortar classes and online courses that will lead to certificates of completion to prepare students to find jobs and build careers in the federal government and with government contractors.
The key elements for the initiative’s success will include:
- Transferability of courses between participating institutions
- Alignment with employer’s needs and future jobs being relocated to the area through BRAC
- Certification equivalent to DAU training courses
- Relationships with local community, state government, universities, colleges and industry
The program will hopefully serve as a model for other collaborative efforts to address job needs and career opportunities for displaced workers around the country.