Throughout 2023, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) collaborated with Southeast Michigan’s workforce stakeholders including the Detroit Regional CEO Group, the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation, the Ballmer Group, and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to establish a new regional employer talent collaborative, the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership. Regional employer intermediaries are a powerful tool to address barriers to employment and scale talent solutions. In this project, CSW researched common regional talent needs, leveraged best-in-class models from the National Talent Collaborative, and engaged stakeholders to design the Detroit Regional Partnership.
What is a Regional Talent Collaborative?
Regional talent collaboratives function as employer roundtables focused on addressing common talent challenges regardless of industry, business size, or longevity. They offer a platform for employers to collectively address issues like mass incarceration, transportation limitations, and childcare access, which impede labor force participation. By engaging with education and workforce entities in their regions, these collaboratives facilitate the identification and scaling of effective talent solutions beyond isolated programs.
During the past few years, CEO-led alliances have convened to solve thorny workforce challenges. Twenty-two of these organizations have come together as a national peer network, the National Talent Collaborative. These collaborations unite diverse stakeholders, including regional impact groups, businesses, non-profits, and government entities. Prioritizing the sharing of best practices, shaping policy agendas, and scaling innovative programs, they strive to address workforce challenges at both regional and national levels. By fostering partnerships and securing funding, they aim to train individuals for middle- to high-paying jobs, establish common success metrics, and foster sustainable growth. Members of the NTC play a crucial role in advancing inclusive economic development and enhancing regional competitiveness on a global scale.
Why a Regional Talent Collaborative in Southeast Michigan?
Southeast Michigan businesses grapple with numerous challenges in both recruiting and retaining workers, creating a multifaceted landscape for talent acquisition. The complexities stem from a shrinking labor force, growth in key industries, limited childcare options, and transportation issues. The Detroit region is experiencing a substantial decline in the working-age population (ages 25 to 64), consequently impacting the overall labor force participation rate.
Addressing escalating childcare challenges is crucial due to substantial costs to businesses and working families. Transportation poses a significant hurdle, especially for second and third-shift workers relying on public bus systems lacking evening and overnight hours. Consequently, regional businesses dedicate increasing time and resources to compete for a diminishing pool of workers.
Our Process
Recognizing the need for a coordinated, regional approach to significant talent challenges, the Detroit Regional CEO Group initiated a planning group comprised of leaders from major employers and representatives of the City of Detroit and the three counties in Southeastern Michigan. The planning group was asked to think through what workforce challenges demand regional solutions, and whether a CEO-led intermediary was needed to facilitate required changes. CSW, as a facilitator, has been integral in organizing employers, coordinating with broader systems, and ensuring the employer roundtable’s work would not duplicate what others in the region are doing. CSW supported the formation of the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership (DRWP) in three key areas:
1. Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement
With our partners at the Detroit Regional CEO Group, CSW engaged diverse stakeholders, including businesses, local government, community organizations, and workforce agencies to help shape DRWP. Through their insights, we gained a deeper understanding of shared challenges and sharpened our understanding of the value proposition for employers. This facilitated constructive collaboration among stakeholders, preventing duplication in the region. The inclusive strategy laid the foundation for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to workforce development.
2. Landscape Analysis
CSW conducted a thorough landscape analysis by leveraging some National Talent Collaborative members through virtual site visits with Greater MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul MN), CEO Leadership Alliance (Orange County, CA), Ascend Indiana (Indianapolis IN), UpSkill Houston, and Talent First (Grand Rapids, MI). We asked these organizations about their approaches to identifying regional talent challenges, building consensus among the business community, and investing in scalable solutions in their area. Through this work, CSW identified practices relevant to the talent challenges businesses face in Southeast Michigan.
3. Organization Startup
CSW facilitated a working group of stakeholders that recommended the formation of the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership, approved by the Detroit Regional CEO Group. During DRWP’s formative phase, CSW advised on early hiring, fundraising, governance structure, and stakeholder engagement to ensure the new workforce intermediary’s early success.
In response to one of DRWP’s early priorities of addressing healthcare workforce challenges, we worked with DRWP’s healthcare committee to identify shared challenges across healthcare systems, map existing, high-functioning partnerships, and develop an action plan on critical workforce issues.
Additionally, DRWP will aim to tackle systemic barriers hindering workers from securing employment. Childcare is a core concern as many parts of Southeast Michigan are considered childcare deserts. DRWP will partner with existing coalitions to ensure that everyone can work knowing their child is in safe, affordable care.
What’s Next for the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership?
As DRWP takes its next steps, CSW remains actively involved in implementing strategies crafted through collaborative efforts. Last December, we were pleased to welcome Jayme Powell as DRWP’s Executive Director. Jayme will make the organization’s first hires in early 2024 and continue to engage stakeholders to drive systemic change.
Jayme says “With CSW’s invaluable support, the Detroit Regional Workforce Partnership has begun the work of coordinating with business leaders and key regional stakeholders across Southeast Michigan to innovatively tackle vexing talent attraction and retention challenges. Together, we’ve laid the groundwork for transformative change, addressing low labor force participation rates, structural employment barriers, and fostering inclusive growth. Together, we envision a future where DRWP continues to pioneer talent solutions, empowering employers to drive regional prosperity and shape a thriving workforce ecosystem.”
By addressing talent gaps, fostering collaboration, and tackling systemic issues, DRWP can organize employers to be more effective partners in Southeast Michigan’s workforce system. We look forward to continuing our partnership with DRWP and seeing the impact they will make in the years to come.
Meet the Author
Devin Corrigan
Devin Corrigan serves as a Senior Policy Associate with CSW’s Federal, State, and Local Systems Change Team. In this role, she supports CSW in transforming multi-level workforce systems, policy, and practice to reduce poverty, increase economic mobility for low-wage workers, and address racial disparities. Continue Reading >>
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