Talent
Michigan’s SmartCoast education system provides a pool of well-educated people to support the Advanced Energy Storage industry. Our schools exhibit excellence at all levels, from elementary and secondary schools to community colleges and universities. Michigan’s SmartCoast workforce achieves higher levels of education than the state and national averages and far lower-than-average rates of unionization.
| Michigan‘s SmartCoast | Michigan | United States | |
| Total Population | 261,957 (Ottawa county) | 9,969,727 | 310,560,327 |
| Median Age | 32 | 36 | 37 |
| Median Household Income | $56,208 | $48,606 | $52,029 |
| High School Grads/Some College | 86.6% | 83.4% | 80.4% |
| Associate/Bachelor Degree | 25.96% | 13.7% | 21.8% |
| Graduate Degree | 12.6% | 8.1% | 8.9% |
| Total Labor Force | 139,314 | 4,926,463 | |
| Unionization | 4.7% | 13.7% | 7.6% |
Business and Educational Work Together
Our community values education and delivers appropriate investments to ensure we provide an extensive array of opportunities for our students.
To support the Advanced Energy Storage industry along Michigan’s SmartCoast, our educational community has responded to support both the immediate needs of area companies, as well as the needs to develop a community who values and understands the industry. This is a collaborative effort between the educational and business community to ensure the skills taught are the same ones needed for industry today and into the future.
Further Reading
- Grand Rapids Community College – Advanced Energy Storage Technician program
- Grand Valley State University Alternative & Renewable Energy Center
- Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation at Western Michigan University
High-Tech Manufacturing Workforce
Michigan’s SmartCoast workforce is repeatedly cited as a key factor for companies locating to the area with 24% of our workforce in the manufacturing sector, representing three times the national average. We make things in west Michigan, and we make them well. We take pride in what we do, and this is reflected in the quality and efficiency with which we build products. We are global experts in high-tech and lean manufacturing processes. Our workforce manufacturing sector by industry looks like the following:
| Major Manufacturing Employment Sectors: | |
| Auto components | 20.8% |
| Furniture | 16.3% |
| Fabricated Metal | 12.9% |
| Electronic Equipment | 8.2% |
| Food Processing | 7.8% |
| Machinery | 7.0% |
| Plastics | 4.8% |
Source: State of Michigan 202 file, 2006
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