STRATEGIES & KEY INITIATIVES
Our Near-Term Target: 40,000 more Detroiters Employed
Our Northstar Goal: 100,000 more Detroiters Employed
Detroit lags behind our peer cities in residential employment – without a coordinated and strategic focus on system change, it would take decades to reach our peer cities’ employment levels. To help us reach peer city residential employment rates, Detroit has set a target of creating a system that increases residential employment by 40,000.
Detroiters face many barriers though when it comes to obtaining and sustaining employment. The Mayor’s Workforce Development Board develops strategies and initiatives to address these barriers.
Achieving our goals will require unprecedented focus and swift action through the following strategic areas of focus:
The Mayor’s Workforce Development Board is advancing a number of programs and initiatives across these three focus areas. Each is designed to provide support for a specific target population or growing industry in the City of Detroit.
Building Detroit’s Workforce Ecosystem
Connecting Detroiters to Opportunity
Detroit at Work is a platform that helps jobseekers learn about the training and jobs available in the city and connects employers to the talent they need to help their businesses grow. The Detroit at Work system includes nine career centers across the City and an online community portal.
Engaging Employers in Every Step of the Workforce System
Through targeted relationship building, industry councils, and strategy partnerships, we are empowering employers with the resources and guidance they need to develop inclusive and successful talent strategies and using their knowledge to drive our investments in Detroit’s workforce.
Training & Career Pathways
Modernizing Career Technical Education in Detroit
A partnership between the City of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools, three Career and Technical Centers-Breithaupt, Golightly, and Randolph-across the City provide industry-standard training in high wage, high-need skills and industries for youth and adults.
Investing in Employer-Led Training Programs
Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation has restructured its training investments to require employer partnerships with training providers and prioritize training programs with pathways to careers in high-growth industries paying family-sustaining wages.
Expanding Youth-Related Employment and Training Programs
Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT) is a citywide summer jobs program that trains and employs young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 each summer through employment experience and career exploration across industries.
Systems Alignment & Policy Change
Advocating for policy changes to help Detroiters succeed
We work with numerous partners to connect existing resources to diverse Detroit job seekers with special needs and support these partners in increasing access to their populations. These partnerships focus on behavioral and mental health, housing-insecure residents, and workers with disabilities.
Reconnecting Justice-Involved Individuals
Our work centers on helping justice-involved individuals and those with criminal records connect with training, employment and supportive services. We work with partners to reduce systemic barriers, support in-prison training, align community resources and develop job opportunities.