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Regional Thinking in West Michigan Garners Multiple Benefits

By Greg Northrup

Helping residents achieve job competency Attracting new employers with data showing that local workers are ready for the modern workplace. Seeking $60 million to make it all happen. All of this was made possible in west Michigan because enough people caught on to the benefits of regional thinking.

A regional mindset in west Michigan didn’t happen overnight. The notion of looking at west Michigan’s future from a broad, regional perspective began in 1998 when business and community leaders from Grand Rapids, Holland, and Muskegon met to talk about working together on regional issues. The West Michigan Strategic Alliance (WMSA) was formally organized in 2000 to create a shared vision for the region for the next 25 years. WMSA adopted the vision “to be a best place to live, work, learn and play in the Midwest” and is guided by the mission “to be a catalyst for regional collaboration.” Today, the West Michigan region is defined as eight counties—Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo and Ottawa—which include more than 219 units of government, 77 school districts, three metro planning organizations, and countless businesses and institutions.

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But what we realized in west Michigan is that, while all these separate and autonomous entities are important, each can benefit by working together. We noted that residents already think and act regionally—73 of Michigan’s 83 counties showed an increase in inter-county commuting in the 2000 census. It became obvious that our planning and thinking had to be regional in scope to match the lifestyles and activities of residents.

The goal of collaboration is a “win-win” solution, ensuring a solution of maximum and equal benefit to all parties. Individual units of government, businesses, and nonprofits will still maintain their autonomy. In collaboration, individual goals are not muted; they are realized with greater and broader effect.

 

 

Workforce Credentialing

A survey of community and business leaders throughout the region showed that the ability of local residents to attain necessary education and job skills was a common concern. Businesses wanted a skilled local work force, and local governments wanted to attract and retain employers. It made sense to work together.

The West Michigan Strategic Alliance (WMSA) and its partners announced plans in April 2008 to offer the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) to provide a standard definition for a “qualified job candidate.” ACT Inc.’s National Career Readiness Certificate is a nationwide workforce credentialing initiative that allows recipients to demonstrate competence in the key foundational skills necessary for virtually every job, and at the skill levels required for the particular jobs of interest to them. Through 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, west Michigan had issued more than 11,000 certificates—a higher per capita success rate than any other region in the country. That success drove the effort to expand it in the region, and even led to the state of Michigan to adopting the program statewide.

As this inititative demonstrates, collaboration can be contagious. The NCRC effort is part of the next phase of the WorkKeys Innovation, which in turn is part of WMSA’s WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) project. That project began in 2006, when west Michigan was one of 13 regions in the country to receive $15 million from the U.S. Department of Labor WIRED program to apply innovative ideas to develop regional economies. A key reason for west Michigan’s selection was a demonstration of regional collaboration.

In the past eight years, we have seen multiple benefits from regional thinking. In addition to the WIRED project, WMSA and its various partners are working to benefit the region through numerous collaborative efforts:

• Green Infrastructure—an effort to identify and protect the region’s natural assets;

• Internship Portal—an online resource to connect the region’s employers with student interns;

• Green Jobs Regional Skills Alliance—preparing workers for jobs in the green energy sector;

• Clean Cities Initiative—developing an alternative fuels corridor in the region.

Measuring Quality of Life

Perhaps most importantly, WMSA is working to measure quality of life on a regional basis. Based on regional input and best practices in other regions of the country, we developed a set of 15 regional indicators. These ‘vital signs’ are a way to keep tabs on the sustainability of the region on an ongoing basis. The indicators measure the social, economic, and environmental health of the region and help municipal, business, and nonprofit leaders see the big picture through detailed data. Regional indicators are intended to:

• Maintain and improve sustainable quality of life

• Prioritize our regional challenges

• Track trends

• Influence allocation of resources

• Stimulate factual discussions

• Spur collaboration

• Encourage a regional mindset

• Trigger dialog and make decisions.

Hundreds of indicators were reviewed; those that met established sustainability criteria were kept. They will now be monitored annually.

That’s a good lesson. There’s a natural tendency to localize information. But thinking regionally actually has significant local benefits. We don’t confine our daily activities of living, working, learning and recreation to one place. We shouldn’t confine our thinking either. We need to continually see the big picture, to think, act and compete regionally. Once we do, the opportunities for productive collaboration will be endless.

 

Greg Northrup is president of the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. You may reach him at 616-356-6060 or northrupg@wm-alliance.org.