LANSING ? Small Business Association of Michigan Board member Doyle Hayes of Battle Creek and past SBAM Board member Frank Lopez of Pinckney have been appointed by Gov. Granholm to the new Council for Labor and Economic Growth, which focuses on developing strategies to prepare Michigan?s workers for the 21st century.
Hayes is president and CEO of Pyper Products Corporation, and Lopez is chairman and CEO of AZTEC Manufacturing.
?The Council for Labor and Economic Growth will be our guide as we strive to meet Michigan?s job needs of today while fostering the skilled and flexible workforce that Michigan businesses need to compete successfully in the future,? said Granholm. ?This talented body will help us challenge the status quo on how best to develop and invest effectively in Michigan?s 21st century workforce.?
Executive Order 2004-36 creates the business-led council and replaces the current Michigan Workforce Investment Board. The council?s members include key leaders from business, labor, community colleges, universities, community-based organizations, local workforce boards, the K-12 educational community, and government. The council will recommend strategies to encourage and stimulate innovative responses to Michigan?s workforce challenges. The new council has been reorganized to comply with federal workforce law which requires a 73-member board.
?The Council for Labor and Economic Growth will help us refine and advance Michigan?s workforce and economic development strategies,? said David C. Hollister, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth. ?This council brings invaluable expertise to the table and will work very closely with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation?s Board of Directors and the Governor?s Council of Economic Advisors to help us more effectively reshape Michigan?s workforce and meet Michigan?s human capital needs.?
The new council will build on some of the workforce development successes already achieved this year, including the establishment of 13 Regional Skills Alliances (MiRSASM) ? Michigan?s employer-led, regionally-based workforce development partnerships that address local workforce challenges. Current MiRSAsSM are targeting ways to fill openings in healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and nanotechnology industries. A MiRSASM is currently under development for the hospitality industry.
Some of the other strategic efforts the new council will help the Governor and the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth tackle are:
Achieving the Governor?s goal of doubling the number of students who obtain college degrees and other credentials over the next 10 years;
Facilitating the transition of Michigan workers to 21st century jobs and careers;
Engaging local workforce boards and officials to strategically build effective coalitions to achieve workforce and economic development goals;
Developing and implementing a system to measure the success of workforce development in Michigan;
Guiding creation of a strategy to assist low-wage workers to become financially self-supporting.
In keeping with the council?s strong connection to industry, Sharon Wenzl, Tower Automotive?s vice president of human resources and communications, has agreed to serve as the CLEG Chair.
