Talent Solutions Playbook

Resources for Upskilling Your Workforce

Employers seeking to enhance their approach to learning and development may find these resources helpful.

TalentFirst Members and Initiatives

Axios HR
The AXIOS HR team provides customized HR solutions to help small and mid-sized companies maximize productivity, strengthen their cultures, find their next hire, or keep up with the latest industry practices and navigate emerging employment issues.

BDO USA
BDO provides knowledge, experience, strategic vision and boots on the ground to help hone leadership skills, improve productivity, acquire and retain talent, reduce administrative burden and minimize risk. They help businesses optimize their workforces and embrace cutting-edge technology to solve industry challenges.

Crowe
Crowe human capital services (HCS) specialists can help employers recruit and engage qualified, passionate people, train them quickly, compensate them fairly, and embrace cutting-edge technology throughout their operations by sharing expertise to implementing employer-of-choice practices.

DISHER
DISHER’s Talent Solutions team has become a trusted partner for all things people. From building a healthy culture and recruiting to employee retention and succession planning, DISHER provides a variety of services and training to take your organization to the next level.

Education-to-Employment Partnership
The West Michigan Education-to-Employment Partnership (E2P) is a collaboration between employers, education and training providers, and community organizations to help recent high school graduates, jobseekers, and current employees discover, access, and complete skills-based pathways into high-demand jobs requiring postsecondary training.

Employers Association (EA) of West Michigan
EA offers comprehensive HR, safety, talent development resources to support your organization’s success throughout the entire talent life cycle. Our resources include timely, regional data, networking, and expert guidance to help you develop and implement effective organizational strategies and navigate complex employer issues.

EY
EY People Advisory Services professionals can help employers effectively harness their people agenda as part of an integrated business strategy. This can translate into competitive advantage by helping you get the right people, with the right capabilities, in the right place, for the right cost, doing the right things.

Frontline Training Solutions
Frontline, an Express Employment Professionals company, provides the solutions you need to train, develop, and retain your workforce. Their practical training and consulting solutions help clients become employers of choice and be sustainable for the future.

HR Solutions Group
HR Solutions Group specializes in reducing the complexity and stress of HR for small to mid-sized businesses. Their experienced team can handle your every HR need from complex compliance requirements, hiring, pay and employee relations to long-term HR strategy for culture and human capital performance.

Talent Solutions Toolkit
A digital toolkit designed to support West Michigan HR leaders and DEI practitioners by providing leading practices and resources for small, medium, and large employers across a range of industry sectors.

Rehmann
Rehmann provides a range of services and resources to help employers mitigate HR risk and implement best practices and policies to recruit, retain, and develop talent while embracing cutting-edge technology to streamline processes.

Higher Education Partners

Aquinas College

Baker College

Calvin University

Cornerstone University

Davenport University

Ferris State University

Grace Christian University

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Valley State University

Hope College

Kuyper College

Montcalm Community College

Muskegon Community College

West Shore Community College

Western Michigan University

Other Resources

Apprenticeship
Create your future workforce, improve productivity, and reduce turn-over by creating your own, or joining an existing, high-quality apprenticeship program.

Chamber Partners
Visit this site to connect with your local chamber of commerce or to explore the resources, services, and supports offered in your location.

Greater Muskegon Economic Development
Greater Muskegon Economic Development is the countywide economic development authority providing programs and resources to support employers in Muskegon County.

JobSync
JobSync works with employers to analyze and document what it takes to succeed at West Michigan jobs, and to map career pathways. Look at reports from a range of jobs to better understand the critical skills you may need, or connect with West Michigan Works! to map your own jobs..

JOFI
JOFI provides measurement tools for sourcing, selection, onboarding, development, and career navigation. The JOFI Five-Star score maximizes predictive validity by combining measures of job-related attributes and career interests.

Lakeshore Advantage
Lakeshore Advantage provides a variety of programs and resources to support employers in Ottawa and Allegan counties.

LinkedIn Learning
An online learning platform tailored for employee training and professional development. It offers thousands of courses to build skills at scale that can be curated to suit the needs of any organization.

Michigan Training Connect
Search for a specific occupation or group of occupations to see all eligible training providers in Michigan, or in your designated geography.

Michigan Works!
Michigan Works! agencies help employers find skilled workers and access training opportunities to upgrade workers’ skills through state-funded, competitive training grants.

O*NET
The O*NET is the nation’s primary source of occupational information on almost 1,000 occupations across the U.S. economy. It’s a free resource maintained by the USDOL that can be used to update job descriptions based on the activities, competencies, skills, and credentials that are recognized or required for any role.

The Right Place
The Right Place provides a variety of resources and programs to support employers in Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana and Mason counties.

SkillsFirst
An automated, online career navigation system that can be used by employers to help workers understand their skillsets and make evidence-based career decisions.

The SOURCE
The SOURCE leverages the collective resources of the public/private partners to offer services such as job specific training personal growth classes, and support services to help overcome barriers employees face in retaining and advancing in the workforce.

Talent Development Liaisons
Talent Development Liaisons (TDLs) are responsible for engaging employers and educators to comprehensively address talent needs focused on mid- and long-term development skill gaps in key industries in each region statewide.

Talent Pipeline Management
The TPM Upskill Academy presents a customizable framework to support employers in improving the skills of incumbent employees and preparing them for success in new and changing roles.

Download a Copy of the Playbook

The playbook provides practical tactics, metrics, and resources to support the recruitment, development, retention, and engagement of talent in the new era of work.

Tactics

Manager Training Ensure all leaders are equipped to support employees’ inclusion, training/upskilling, work-life balance, and overall health and well-being (PDF) . Train managers to speak…

Expand and Customize Benefits Leverage employee feedback to expand the range and customization of benefits, offer more value-added programs, and improve communications, internally and externally,…

Idealists with bills to pay Millennials (1981-1996) value flexibility, purpose, opportunities for career progression, and customizable benefits. Like Gen Z, they tend to seek out…