By: Deborah Johnson Wood
On February 1, the workgroups in the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative moved into their next phase of spurring West Michigan toward establishing a reputable knowledge economy workforce.
WIRED West Michigan launched 12 workgroups, or 'innovations,' to spur the transformation of the regional economy from a manufacturing base to one organized more directly around technology, creativity, and knowledge. The initiative is funded by a $15 million federal grant that runs out on February 1, 2009.
"We're working on making the systemic changes necessary for the region to be economically successful," says Phil Rios, project manager. "Phase 1 was about concept development, phase 2 was about prototyping, and this phase, phase 3 is about implementation.
"There isn't going to be one industry sector that's going to be wildly successful in the future economy," Rios adds. "The market dictates who will be successful and who won't, we can't pick that. We're trying to help build that environment here where people feel comfortable living here, raising families, and growing the economy. We want all the talent here."
To be approved for the $3.3 million funding for phase 3, each innovation had to have a sustainability plan and a letter from their host organizations saying they'll sustain the process after the grant money is gone.
Two innovations—knowledge workers and the innovation curriculum—are complete. The Entrepreneurial League System will not continue because of the lack of a local sponsor.
A new innovation called the Rural Initiative will focus on the rural counties and using peer-to-peer training to teach farmers how to compete in the food market as a supply chain value-add process.
The rest of the innovations that qualified for funding in the implementation phase are:
- InnovationWORKS Design Council
- Regional Skills Development
- National Career Readiness Certificate WorkKeys Innovation
- West Michigan TEAM
- Healthcare Regional Skills Alliance
Source: Phil Rios, WIRED West Michigan
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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