Workforce Development

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,...

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....

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...

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...

Where Does Disability Fit Into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

Note: In advance of our next Talent Solutions Series event, Expand Talent Pipelines | Embracing Neurodiversity @ Work on Oct. 1, we will be sharing...

Why Employers See Opportunity in Second-Chance Hiring

The formerly incarcerated offer a ready, willing and able talent pool that too often is overlooked because employers lack the knowledge of how to hire...

We Can’t Afford To Miss This One-Time Chance To Improve Adult Ed

TalentFirst members are at the forefront of driving improvements in Michigan’s adult education system. As employers, they recognize the critical role that adult ed plays...

Future Focus: HR is All About People, and DEI is Not About Charity

Human Resources and DEI Strategist Ovell Barbee, SPHR, tells a story from his career that emphasizes the importance of remembering that people are at the...

A Look at the Talent Horizon for 2024: More Change and More Solutions

By now, employers and talent professionals are seasoned veterans of the turbulent labor market we have experienced for several years...

Population Headlines Are Grim, but West Michigan is Doing Something Right

A recent Bridge Michigan article might have surprised anyone accustomed to dismissing our neighbor to the south, Indiana. Headlined “Indiana is beating Michigan by attracting...