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Opening Doors with MiCareerCompass

By Kevin Stotts, President of TalentFirst   At the Believe in Our City event in early September of 2025, I had the chance to share...

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From Risk to Resilience: How West Michigan’s Leaders Are Future-Proofing Their Workforce

By Kevin Stotts, President of TalentFirst   The numbers are clear, and the stakes are high. Nearly one in four workers in our region is...

Two young students in foreground are reading books at a table in a library. Another student is in the background.

These schools stand apart: Six elementaries earn Literacy Leader Awards

TalentFirst has announced the 2025 winners of its Literacy Leader Awards: six West Michigan elementary schools whose excellence in reading instruction and accomplishment will be...

Children with books seated on risers, teacher at front.

Announcing a Regional Agreement to Solve Early Literacy Crisis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Grand Rapids, MI (February 10, 2025) — An alliance of business, K-12 and teaching-college leaders today announced an unprecedented agreement to increase...

An infant in the foreground, with a caregiver and other toddler-aged children.

Why We’re Giving All Employers Access to Our Childcare Solutions

Successful business leaders don’t tolerate broken components of their operations. When a department fails to deliver, when costs overrun revenue, when a system breaks down?...

Three interns, right, speak to a mentor wearing glasses in a technical/industrial setting.

Work-Based Learning: The Key to Next-Generation Talent

Before joining Mercantile Bank a decade ago, Misti Stanton worked in education for 25 years. Today, as Mercantile’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,...

Two women and two men stand in front of a banner reading MACAE. A man second from left holds an award.

Award Highlights TalentFirst’s Contributions to Adult Education

Adult education — in all its forms — is a vital link to our economic and social well-being. It connects people to rewarding, good-paying jobs....

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Taking a Team Approach To Foster Learning and Engagement

Most employers understand the benefits of breaking down the silos that isolate human resources from the rest of the organization. But few have managed to...

A man, left, and woman, faces not visible, work with a calculator and paper on a table.

Addressing a Paradox of Better Pay: The ‘Benefits Cliff’

In values that have guided the company for decades, TalentFirst member Haworth puts the importance of its global workforce in writing: “We rely on our...

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Inclusive Hiring Offers Solutions for Stability and Sourcing

Despite recent moderation of the hiring market, employers remain in need of consistently reliable sources of talent. Two opportunities in the coming weeks provide resources...

A teacher sits at a table with four children reading books.

New Low for 3rd Grade Reading Shows Why We’re Taking Action

Six out of 10 fourth graders in Michigan went back to school this year unprepared to read at grade level. In announcing the results from...

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