A proactive approach to talent development

Manufacturers of electric vehicles (EV) and semiconductors should have every reason to be optimistic. Their products are in demand, and the industries have benefitted from favorable tax breaks and billions of dollars in federal spending. But they are facing a huge problem: a dire (and worsening) shortage of skilled workers needed to keep their products rolling off the line.



In 2023, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)—which helps businesses and communities all across the Great Lakes State grow and succeed—launched a program to address and head off the potential shortfall. Its Talent Action Team (TAT) is a $34 million initiative that brings together employers, education leaders, and training providers to prepare a workforce with the specialized skills required to make semiconductors, EVs, and other high-tech goods. 







In its first six months, TAT has already filled more than 1,500 high-tech jobs with EV and semiconductor employers and provided college scholarships to students pursuing industry-relevant degrees. “We’re creating a skills alignment, training alignment, work-and-learn alignment that didn’t exist before,” says Kerry Ebersole Singh, EVP and chief talent solutions officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation—“all within the full continuum, pre-K through career, of how to cultivate future talent.”



It’s creative strategies like these that have helped the Lansing –based organization build a talent ecosystem that is crucial to supporting innovation and economic growth—in Michigan, and beyond—and earned it a spot on Fast Company ’s list of the world’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024.



PREPARING TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE



The majority of TAT programs focus on students of all ages. In one of its flagship programs, students with a strong interest in EV and mobility sectors (which includes autonomous transportation of goods and people) are eligible for up to $10,000 in scholarships when they accept internships or full-time positions with participating companies. A similar program for fields related to the production of semiconductors was launched earlier this year.



The organization also encourages high school students to participate in skills-training opportunities. One such program is the recently launched Michigan State University Math Bootcamp, which provides experiential learning opportunities and seeks to boost interest in fields like science, engineering, and math.



In addition, last year TAT partnered with the University of Michigan to create the EV/Mobility Digital Curriculum, a program that will introduce grade-schoolers to the wonders (and future employment opportunities) of technology. “We start in early childhood and go through career, including upskilling,” explains Ebersole Singh. “We can’t afford to wait until they’re in 11th or 12th grade, when students are already making decisions about what they’re doing next, or resting on our laurels when industry innovation demands workforce to be upskilled.”



BRIDGING GAPS



Collaboration is the foundation of TAT’s work, with MEDC serving as a catalyst for action with educational institutions, employers, industry partners, and nonprofit organizations. The process starts with detailed conversations with employer partners about their current and future needs and later brings together business leaders and educators to help shape curriculum and assess the current state of today’s fast-moving industries.



“Industry and higher education appreciate facilitation to drive a collective workforce strategy,” Ebersole Singh says. “We’re using our resources to step in and help fill the gaps, changing the career trajectory of Michiganders and our state’s workforce.”