U.P. Michigan Works! is using MICA funding to identify talent demand and shortages in the Upper Peninsula.
UPPER PENINSULA, Mich—Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! (UPMW) has been awarded a competitive $250,000 grant from the State of Michigan through the MICA 3.0 grant cycle.
Michigan’s Industry Cluster Approach (MICA) creates a framework in which employers within a single industry jointly engage with the workforce system to identify their talent demands and challenges. This is the third round of grants distributed to this initiative in the State of Michigan, and the first time that Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! has received funding from it.
UPMW is using the funds to support efforts to set up the OneUP Collaborative. Within the collaborative, there will be Employer Led Collectives (ELCs) that will consist of businesses from the manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, and tourism industries. These ELCs will also have support from regional resource providers including economic development partners, K-12 educators, post-secondary educators, apprentice intermediaries, chambers of commerce, veterans’ employment services, Michigan Rehabilitative Services, and more.
Michigan Works! will bring in other resources and industry associations to strengthen our efforts and tap into parallel work, as needed. Examples include the Center for Rural Healthcare, the Primary Care Association, Convention and Visitors Bureaus, the Manufacturing Technology Center, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, and the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association to name a few.
The goal of the OneUP Employer Led Collective is to bring together industry peers to solve workforce problems proactively, supply opportunities that re-engage citizens in the workforce using the Bridges out of Poverty (BOP) framework, and have a unified voice to advocate for structural changes that are needed to remove barriers at regulatory agencies and legislative levels for the respective industries.
Job seekers will benefit from this collaborative because businesses will assess their hiring processes, labor resources, and retention issues by making data-driven decisions. Businesses will work towards finding the root causes of the challenges that surround the workforce in the U. P. by using Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) as a framework. Once the root causes are defined, the collaboratives can begin developing actionable solutions that will have a positive impact on member businesses and their communities. We will build an effective Business Resource Network that allows U.P. residents to advance by connecting them to resources that fit their needs when they most need them.
The OneUP Employer Led Collective will be holding a kick-off event on January 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EST. If you are a business that is interested in taking part in an ELC, please contact Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! at OneUPCollaborative@upmichiganworks.org.
—
Navigate to our Employers page for more information about employer services.