On Aug. 27, the Detroit Regional Chamber and Detroit Reconnect joined MiLEAP and Delta Air Lines for Reconnect Enrollment Day. The event featured Reconnect Navigators, who helped employees apply for the Michigan Reconnect scholarship and find solutions for child care, transportation, and other common barriers working adults looking to further their education face.
More than 220 employees from Customs and Border Patrol, TSA, Delta Air Lines, and the Wayne County Airport Authority attended, along with postsecondary representatives from Western Michigan University, Schoolcraft College, Macomb Community College, and Lansing Community College.
The Chamber and the State of Michigan are working to increase postsecondary attainment to 60% by 2030. Achieving this goal requires a concerted effort to engage more adult learners and raise awareness of support programs like Michigan Reconnect. Employers are uniquely positioned to lead this outreach while also promoting their education benefits and career pathways to their workers, improving access to education and training, as well as employee engagement and retention. To support these efforts, the Chamber has been connecting regional businesses, such as Delta Air Lines, with the MiLEAP team to collaborate on initiatives like August’s Reconnect Enrollment Day.
“Introducing our employees to Michigan Reconnect is yet another way Delta Air Lines is working to remove obstacles for advancement and strengthen the workforce pipeline of aviation professionals,” said Hussein Berry, Delta Air Line’s Vice President of Airport Operations at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. “Delta Air Lines prides itself on its ‘skills-first talent strategy,’ which aims to enrich the careers of all Delta employees and accelerate career mobility by prioritizing a candidate’s skills and experience in internal and external hiring. Our skills-first hiring approach increases access to higher-earning positions while promoting equitable access to long-term career trajectories. Much like MiLEAP is removing barriers to education, Delta Air Lines is removing obstacles to entry for talent.”
Employer-led education initiatives will be critical to solving talent challenges and creating access to the lifelong learning and credentialing needed to sustain our knowledge-based economy. The Chamber’s Workforce Success Toolkit provides resources to employers looking to improve or expand their education benefits and talent initiatives.
Interested in hosting a Reconnect Enrollment Day or learning more about improving talent outcomes at your company? Contact Christi Taylor, the Chamber’s Senior Director of Talent Initiatives, at ctaylor@detroitchamber.com.
