Survey of Employer Indicates Help Needed To Get Interns:
WMSA Responds with Employers Internship Toolkit

A survey of employers in West Michigan revealed that more of them would have interns if they could get help developing an internship program. The West Michigan Strategic Alliance, which conducted the survey as part of its internship initiative, is responding with a toolkit for employers.

The internship initiative is a statewide effort intended to create 25,000 additional internship opportunities. WMSA is working closely with employers throughout the region to generate an additional 3,000 internships in West Michigan by the end of 2011. Talent retention is critical to improving our region’s economic success – expanding internships opportunities is one way to achieve this objective.

To read the full article, please click here.

GRBJ WIRED Story On Target (Even if Headline Isn't)

Some of you may have seen the January 12, 2009 Grand Rapids Business Journal article on WIRED West Michigan. While it was a very nice, balanced article overall, the subhead did read: Some Innovations were Successful and Others Failed.

But, as we near the end of the three-year WIRED grant, we already knew that is how the headline would read. We planned for it, and to a degree, we even boasted about it. Of course, we didn’t set out wanting to see any of our innovations fail, but we also knew that for success and true innovation to occur there must be failure. Failure breeds innovation. Had we been scared to fail, we would have played it “safe”, and successful innovations such as West Michigan TEAM, InnovationWORKS and WorkKeys and others would not have been born.

So as we embark on final our leg of the WIRED grant, please join us in celebrating our successes… and our failures.

Diversifying Our Supplier Base

WMSA received a planning grant from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth to develop a regional skills alliance for manufacturers of components for alternative energy. A regional skills alliance helps groups of employers work together to identify and address workforce challenges to increase their competitiveness.

Originally, titled the Green Jobs RSA, The Green Parts RSA will focus on helping small to medium-sized manufacturers with the skills needed to diversity and serve the alternative energy component market.

Many regional manufacturers have world class capabilities that the alternative energy, medical device and aerospace markets are currently seeking. The Right Place, Inc. and Michigan Manufacturers Technology Center are holding a diversification informational session on February 18. Click here for more details.

Save the Date: State of the Region 2009

Please note the date of this year's State of the Region event has moved to Wednesday, April 29. More details to come.

Join the many people and organizations from around West Michigan who are contributors to the work of regional collaboration by visiting our website wm-alliance.org or email info@wm-alliance.org

Note: This project is funded in whole or in part by a WIRED grant from the U.S. Department of Labor - Employment Training Administration