ANN ARBOR — The economic development agency Ann Arbor Spark and Amy Cell, a longtime Michigan talent development expert, Monday announced a new effort to create a more robust, sustainable high tech talent pipeline in the Ann Arbor region.
The new program is to include both a special software-focused talent initiative as well as a broader high tech talent initiative.
“Our economic growth has created incredibly low unemployment, and low unemployment creates a competitive environment for employers and job seekers alike,” said Paul Krutko, Spark’s president and CEO. “Ann Arbor Spark is actively building on and retaining the incredible talent pool here, including working with our colleges to match those entering the workforce with high tech companies and the skills they need. The more our base of students know about our great companies and how their salaries will buy a higher quality of life than other parts of the country, the more of those students will choose to stay here.”
The high tech talent program is designed to be flexible, based on an employer’s needs. Its four service levels include customized programs, consultations with Amy Cell LLC, targeted job programs, and a variety of training options to support new hires. Job seekers can be matched with companies that are hiring by submitting a resume through the Ann Arbor Spark Job Portal or participation in Amy Cell LLC’s Opportunity Seeker Programs, or OSP.
The collaboration also includes a program called Software Talent Attraction and Retention. STAR includes an internship and mentoring program, placement of recent graduates, and connecting employers to available, experienced talent. A video highlights the program: https://youtu.be/0R6BylzEPNs.
STAR job seekers will include software talent that have reached out to Amy Cell LLC for participation as well as recent college graduates and existing college students interested in internships or part time employment to gain experience with local software companies.
For more information, call (734) 761-9317 or visit www.AnnArborUSA.org.
Cell has worked in talent attraction and retention for Ann Arbor Spark and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. since 2006.