Thanks to $3 million in funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, a coalition of leaders spanning business, government, and philanthropy throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties has united to launch the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership, an initiative designed to create an equitable, future-facing talent pipeline that will support a thriving economy in southeast Michigan.
The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has provided lead grant funding for the initiative, with $1.5 million at launch, and a total of $3 million committed over three years.
The new regional initiative, which will be managed by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan will build on the success of the city of Detroit’s Workforce Development system, which helped secure 40,000 jobs for Detroiters in just over four years.
By establishing a regional, employer-led collaborative, and sustained engagement of the industries necessary to coordinate demand, the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership will work to fill a clear gap in southeast Michigan’s workforce development ecosystem.
The Detroit Regional CEO Group spearheaded the process to develop the initiative. Facilitated by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, input was gathered from business leaders in the automotive, health, energy, and real estate sectors; as well as representatives from government in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties; philanthropy; education; and economic development.
“We are excited to partner with local businesses, governments and philanthropy to help create a more direct pathway to impactful and meaningful employment,” says David Meador, executive director of the Detroit Regional CEO Group. “We have heard from multiple sectors across the region that the number of job openings is far outpacing talent capacity. Our goal is to collaborate seamlessly to ensure a robust and dynamic talent pool has access to these opportunities.”
Jayme Powell, previously senior director of education and employment at the Rocket Community Fund, will lead the initiative. She has joined the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan as executive director, Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership, reporting to Nicole Sherard-Freeman, chief operating officer.
“Jayme is a seasoned leader with a record of successfully making systems change and improving economic and social outcomes for under-resourced communities and businesses with significant talent needs,” Sherard-Freeman says. “This role will play a crucial part in leading and establishing a regional, business-led workforce intermediary in southeast Michigan.”
Prior to joining the Community Foundation, during her career with the Rocket Community Fund, Powell co-designed and championed Connect313, a citywide, data-driven, and community-led digital inclusion strategy to ensure all residents have access to digital resources for improved learning, employment, and wellbeing.
She also led the development and launch of the Motor City Contractor Fund, a business growth initiative that provides technical assistance along with flexible and affordable lending to Detroit-based contractors, and piloted the Detroit Area Talent Fund, a regional microgrant fund to support students experiencing financial crisis so they can persist through obtaining their degree or certification.
Powell holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Michigan State University and a master’s in social work, organizational and community leadership, also from MSU.
Health care will be the first sector to work with the new partnership to address a critical talent gap. Currently, there are more than 4,000 job openings in health care throughout metro Detroit region.
“We are enthusiastically harnessing the power and proven success of the Detroit Regional CEO Group and this new initiative to help address the sector’s talent needs,” says Bob Riney, president and CEO, Henry Ford Health. “The opportunity to break down systemic barriers to employment, as well as work collaboratively regionwide to provide people with great-paying jobs, lifts everyone.”
Economic development and the workforce are core pillars of the Ralph Wilson Foundation.
“The most successful regions in the country for connecting and developing talent to employment have adopted practices of using employer-driven, data rich models,” says David Egner, President and CEO, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “Based on a record of success the CEO Group has demonstrated, we believe this new partnership will have a significant impact on the region’s job seekers and businesses, while also bringing additional opportunities to the region. The potential can be truly game changing.”
