Talent shortages are one of the most pressing challenges facing manufacturers today—and in West Michigan, employers are taking action. With support from the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s TPM Community Implementation Grant, TalentFirst, Inc. is expanding employer-led solutions to build stronger, skills-based talent pipelines across the region.
The effort is focused on a 13-county region with a population of more than 1.6 million and a workforce nearing 850,000. Manufacturing plays a central role in the regional economy, accounting for 22.5% of private sector employment and projected to drive nearly half of Michigan’s new manufacturing jobs over the next five years.
At the same time, the talent gap is widening. One in four manufacturing workers is expected to retire by 2035, and in 2025, more than 43% of manufacturing job openings in West Michigan remained vacant, underscoring the urgent need for expanding workforce solutions.
An Employer-Led Approach to Workforce Solutions
TalentFirst is a CEO-led alliance that brings together business leaders, educators, workforce partners, policymakers, and community stakeholders to align around employer-defined workforce priorities. As a regional intermediary, the organization translates those priorities into practical, scalable solutions that support both business competitiveness and economic mobility.
In partnership with the Michigan Manufacturers Association, TalentFirst serves as the backbone organization for TPM implementation—providing the facilitation, governance, data analysis, and employer coordination needed to move from workforce planning to execution.
Employers Define the Path Forward
Through its TPM West Michigan Manufacturing collaborative, TalentFirst is working directly with employers to address workforce challenges through a structured, employer-led process. The collaborative includes major regional companies such as Amway, Butterball Farms, Cascade Engineering, DeWys Metal Solutions, Haworth, Landscape Forms, Proper Beverage Co., Shape Corp, SoundOff Signal, and Wolverine Coil Spring.
Together, these employers launched a TPM pilot in 2025 and identified three priority job clusters (groupings of occupations and industries that share similar skill sets, knowledge bases, and work environments): Frontline Production Team Members, Maintenance & Repair Technicians, and Frontline Supervisors.
Building Career Pathways into High-Demand Roles
The initial focus is on Maintenance & Repair Technicians—a high-demand role with clear advancement potential for frontline workers. Employers have identified a need to fill 350 technician positions by 2030, with wages that significantly exceed those of entry-level roles.
By strengthening this pathway, TalentFirst is helping businesses address critical talent shortages while creating new opportunities for workers to increase earnings and advance their careers.
Aligning Training to Real Employer Demand
With support from the implementation grant, TalentFirst will work with employers to finalize standardized, skills-first competency profiles and credential requirements, align education and training partners to those needs, and pilot a multi-company, pathway-based training model.
Partners such as Grand Rapids Community College, Muskegon Community College, Ferris State University, Kent Career Tech Center, West Shore Community College, Thompson-MTEC, Praeco Skills, and The Luminous Group, will play a key role in delivering training aligned with real-time employer demand.
Connecting Workers to Clear Career Navigation
This work will also connect to MiCareerCompass, TalentFirst’s career navigation platform, which helps job seekers understand skills, credentials, wage progression, and training options tied to real job opportunities.
By translating TPM-developed skill profiles into accessible career pathways, TalentFirst is helping workers see not just open jobs—but clear routes to advancement.
Driving Measurable Impact and Long-Term Sustainability
During the grant period, TalentFirst will support at least 20 Maintenance & Repair Technician placements, help 20 workers advance along the maintenance pathway, develop two standardized competency profiles, and create two career pathway maps. The collaborative will also deploy an ROI calculator to help employers measure the value of their workforce investments.
Over time, the goal is to build a system that employers help fund and sustain—one that shortens hiring times, improves retention, and prepares workers with the skills employers need.
“TPM offers West Michigan manufacturers a straightforward and effective solution to the critical talent shortage in manufacturing operations, ensuring a clear return on investment,” TalentFirst President Kevin Stotts shared. “We are grateful for the partnership with the U.S. Chamber Foundation.”
By aligning employer demand, education supply, and worker opportunity, TalentFirst is creating a repeatable model that can strengthen manufacturing talent pipelines—not just in West Michigan, but across the country.
About the author
