Five Ways to Champion Newcomer Talent in Michigan
There are more than 123,000 working-age adult English learners in Michigan, poised to help employers fill roles in a state where there are currently more open jobs than available workers. Yet many local employers struggle to recruit, retain, and engage this often-overlooked multilingual talent pool.
“Michigan’s diverse workforce – including speakers of languages other than English – is one of our greatest assets. Yet English barriers drive the systemic unemployment and underemployment of this high-potential talent pool,” said Dr. Alaina Jackson, Managing Director of Global Detroit, member organization of the Michigan Global Talent Initiative (MGTI).
To fill this gap, EnGen teamed with MGTI and the Office of Global Michigan to host a first-of-its kind Michigan Workforce Summit in Detroit, building a network that recruits and retains, engages and empowers Michigan’s multilingual workforce.
“What’s important to me, as owner of Wolverine Assemblies, is how do we bring true diversity to our company. We have right now about seven different languages and cultures [represented] at Wolverine Assemblies…and we welcome them all,” said Summit participant Alfonzo Hall, president and chief operating officer at Wolverine Assemblies. “My job is getting good people on good-paying jobs.We always say in my company that language is not a barrier.”
Advancing Inclusion & Connections Across Michigan
Dozens of leaders from Michigan-based employers, community colleges, and other workforce development organizations joined the Summit, which launched with a panel discussion featuring Hall, along with Amy Cheadle of the Office of Global Michigan, Sameh Elhady from the Southeastern Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA), and Ken James from Muskegon Community College. Dr. Katie Brown, EnGen’s founder and chief education officer, moderated the conversation.
Panelists discussed best practices for better connecting with workers from newcomer backgrounds, who represent 1 in 10 workers in Michigan’s labor force. The conversation highlighted the assets of the multilingual workforce in Michigan, best practices for employers to recruit and retain these workers, and the importance of cross-sector partnerships that provide wrap-around support and resources to champion this talent pool.
“We always hear, ‘there’s a workforce shortage.’ Well, we’ve got this untapped population that we’re undeserving,” said James, Chief Diversity Officer at Muskegon Community College. “So if we can bridge that gap, bring the employers and the immigrants and refugees together, and then take those cultural best practices to help with retention, I think we’ll be on to something.”
The importance of connecting multilingual workers with career-aligned English instruction, an approach called English upskilling, was a focus of the conversation. MGTI has partnered with EnGen to provide at-scale English instruction free of charge to Michigan employers, community colleges, and other workforce partners, part of an ambitious new effort to support newcomer talent while also driving Michigan’s economic development. EnGen’s collaboration with MGTI expands an existing partnership with the Office of Global Michigan, which has offered EnGen to Michiganders since 2019.
“We really want to make Michigan stronger and better, and we can contribute to that by advancing English language skills, digital equity, and digital empowerment,” said Cheadle of the Office of Global Michigan.
The Summit concluded with participants collaborating in breakout groups, building connections and sharing ideas and resources to support newcomer talent across Michigan. EnGen has captured ideas and insights in a playbook, featuring five action steps that Michigan leaders can leverage immediately.
“Multilingual workers bring a lot of assets to the state of Michigan and to our local communities. They bring diversity, they bring new vision and perspectives,” said Elhady of SEMCA. “Diversity is beautiful. [Including these workers] will open more opportunities for all.”
EnGen is committed to continuing to champion multilingual talent across Michigan. We partner with employers, community colleges, and workforce partners to serve adult English learners across the state. Learn how EnGen can work for your organization: https://getengen.com/mgti.