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Mar 23

Detroit’s Untapped Talent: Part 2

Detroit continues to be in the spotlight for its progress on issues that have long plagued the city. Over the past decade of working closely with key Detroit workforce providers and employers, and more recently with Mayor Duggan’s new Office of Workforce Development, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce has seen this turnaround first hand. For the last 10 years, CSW has partnered with workforce providers, employers, and public sector agencies in Detroit to help design and implement more effective policies and programs for jobs seekers and workers.

CSW was engaged by JPMorgan Chase in November 2014 to undertake a research effort to create a workforce system “map,” which would inform a comprehensive and data-driven understanding of Detroit’s workforce development assets, opportunities, and challenges. First, we analyzed information about the complexities of Detroit’s resident labor pool, industry mix, and the mix of jobs and skills needed for the city to prosper. Next, we examined the mix of funding and investments, the range of organizations providing workforce development services and programs, and partnerships as a system. In doing so, we investigated how all of the parts—talent supply, talent demand, and the system that supports both—work together in the interest of Detroit’s job seekers and employers.

The results of this research are contained in CSW’s second report in a two-part series, Detroit’s Untapped Talent: Partnerships and Pathways to Success. Developed as part of JPMorgan Chase’s $100 million commitment to the city’s economic recovery, our research is intended to help focus and align different workforce development efforts and investments, including those made by the Mayor’s Detroit Workforce Development Board.

The first report, Detroit’s Untapped Talent: Jobs and On-Ramps Needed was released in January 2016. It includes information about the complexities of Detroit’s resident labor pool, industry mix, and the mix of jobs and skills needed for the city to prosper.

The research results from these two reports allow policymakers, civic leaders, and employers to better understand the workforce system’s assets and needs so they can better align efforts to maximize services for Detroit residents. By providing a comprehensive and data-driven understanding of Detroit’s workforce development assets, opportunities, and challenges, we are able to help inform decisions about how to build a skilled and competitive workforce.

This work in Detroit builds on our commitment to working with leaders in Michigan and all over the country to engage community stakeholders around a common vision and set of strategies for collectively working toward more equitable education and employment outcomes for all residents. This work in Detroit is an important example of how CSW is helping reimagine systems that support work and learning and identifying new pathways for increasing economic mobility and prosperity for individuals and families.

To download the Part II report, click here.

To download the Part I report, click here.