Employers See Benefits Of Granholm
Workforce Development Initiative

LANSING, Mich. - Since the launch of Governor Jennifer Granholm's Michigan Regional Skills Alliances^SM (MiRSAs), more than 2,100 individuals have received training and 813 individuals were placed into employment as employers around the state realize the benefits of the initiative.

Employers agree that MiRSAs have improved Michigan's "business smarts." Tim Daiss, of Eaton Rapids-based Magnesium Products of America, says that MiRSAs make Michigan a more attractive location for business by "attending to the very specific needs of business." He has already seen improvements to the bottom line of his business through job training grants that have flowed through the MiRSA.

Governor Jennifer Granholm announced the MiRSA initiative in her 2004 State of the State address, when she committed her administration to making Michigan government more "business friendly." Since then, regional consortia of businesses, educators, and workforce and economic developers have launched more than 30 MiRSAs statewide. The groups include hundreds of businesses that employ thousands of Michigan residents. MiRSAs help groups of employers identify and address workforce challenges to increase their competitiveness.

Granholm recently announced more than $800,000 in grants to create seven new MiRSAs and expand two others to help ensure that workers get the necessary training to do the work employers need today and in the future.

Wes Reedy, human resources manager for Atmosphere Annealing, Inc., in Lansing, is seeing bottom line results. He believes the MiRSAs are a better way for government to work with businesses. Reedy is a member of the Capital Area Manufacturing MiRSA, one of three MiRSAs in the capital region.

"MiRSAs provide a team-like environment to encourage companies to flourish," said Reedy. "I am in close collaboration with my manufacturing colleagues on issues of common concern. The MiRSA is like a sounding board for policy development."

In Northern Michigan, Beth Walter, vice president of support services at Cheboygan Memorial Hospital, is a member of the new Northeast Michigan Healthcare Workforce Alliance, part of the Michigan Regional Skills Alliances   (MiRSA).

"MiRSAs allow local communities to customize programs to meet their local needs, rather than having programs handed down and mandated from state government," said Walter.

   Tom Karel of St. Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids has his own philosophy.

"If you want things to be different, you have to get involved," said Karel, who spends much of his time trying to cope with worker shortages in his industry. He is participating in the new Michigan Regional Skills Alliances   (MiRSA) for health care in west Michigan.

"We need to move from talking about the problem to making real and lasting changes," said Karel, who sees the MiRSA as a vehicle for employers to understand each other's business challenges and find solutions.

Perhaps the most powerful endorsement of MiRSAs from employers is that they urge other businesses to join. The participating employers agree that there is power in numbers. These employers and others have seen their early expectations met and exceeded, and have even higher hopes for the future as the MiRSA network continues to grow.

The Michigan Regional Skills Alliances^SM (MiRSA) is a Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth program introduced by Governor Jennifer Granholm in 2004. Today, there are more than 30 MiRSAs statewide, comprised of regional consortia of businesses, educators, and workforce and economic developers. The MiRSA helps groups of employers identify and address workforce challenges to increase their competitiveness, including workforce development assistance with job training grants, tuition reimbursement scholarships and career fairs. Statewide, MiRSAs include participation by hundreds of businesses that employ thousands of Michigan residents. For more information visit the MiRSA Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/rsa.