Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Regional Chamber has introduced a new umbrella brand, TalentEd, to consolidate its efforts in enhancing educational attainment and workforce development in the region. The Chamber aims to achieve a 60% educational attainment rate by 2030 and has developed an extensive portfolio of education and talent programs to reach this goal.

TalentEd combines "Talent" and "Education" to communicate effectively with the business community about building a robust talent pipeline that meets employers' needs. While the programs remain unchanged, they will now operate under the TalentEd brand, focusing on increasing access to post-high school education, boosting college graduation rates, retaining graduates in the Detroit Region, and empowering employers in talent development.

The strategy is guided by top talent experts from various industries. The CEO Talent Council is led by Peter Quigley of Kelly Services, while the Detroit Drives Degrees Leadership Council is co-chaired by Ora Pescovitz of Oakland University and Jamie Jacobs of Ajax Paving.

Existing successful programs like Detroit Drives Degrees aim to increase higher education access and completion rates through collaboration with stakeholders from various sectors. The Chamber also administers the Detroit Promise, offering tuition-free college paths for approximately 2,000 students at partner institutions.

Annual publications such as the State of Education and Talent Report track progress toward educational goals. The report supports data-driven actions for developing scalable talent programs. The Chamber's advocacy team works on policies improving educational outcomes and workforce development across Michigan.

Through its extensive network involving businesses, philanthropy, higher education institutions, community groups, and other stakeholders, the Chamber seeks collective impact to enhance educational systems for better outcomes.