Study explores emerging middle skill jobs in the connected and automated vehicle sector Ann Arbor, Michigan: Connected and automated vehicles (CAV) present future economic opportunities for companies and regions that are able to capitalize on their growth.  Often overlooked in this evolution are the middle skills jobs that will be integral in this sector’s development.  While many workforce reports emphasize the gaps in highly-skilled positions, such as engineers, the middle skills jobs are also evolving and skill set gaps [read more]

Decision Coaching Training Launches The Economic Growth Institute and Allovance launch training to change how the world makes decisions.  Ann Arbor, Michigan: In partnership with Allovance, an innovative Ann Arbor, Michigan based firm founded by University of Michigan alumni Dr. Sherif Farghal, that refined the decision-making methodology, the Economic Growth Institute at the University of Michigan today announced they have developed an easy to follow program to teach individuals everything they need to know about becoming a Decision [read more]

Stay Safe: For those that stay in operation, follow guidance from the CDC and your state authorities on social distancing policies; protect your most valuable asset, your employees. Use this time to show that you care about their wellbeing. Communicate, communicate, communicate: Employees, customers, and suppliers  are anxious about the future. Stay in communication with all, especially if you have to work remote. Take care to let laid-off workers know that you will bring them back [read more]

Abess Makki developed an early appreciation for infrastructure.  When a student at Wayne State University, he started an organization to build water infrastructure in developing countries.  Developing basic services is a welcome investment in many parts of the world.  However, Abess believes infrastructure can be taken for granted in places like the United States, where there is a growing need for more investment and maintenance for water systems and other basic services. He has drawn on this experience to [read more]

By Jeff Karoub, U-M News Service FACULTY Q&A Steve Wilson When the full story is written about how the COVID-19 pandemic rocked industries and economies, small-to-mid-sized businesses will certainly encapsulate the struggle, endurance, resilience on a human scale. The University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute helps many such enterprises work through this crisis, as they did during the Great Recession more than a decade ago. Institute Associate Director Steven Wilson discusses some of what he and his colleagues are [read more]

By Greta Guest, U-M News Service Original posting: https://news.umich.edu/retool-revive-u-m-helps-defense-manufacturers-pivot/ ANN ARBOR—As defense contractors throughout the Midwest lost work because of federal budget cuts, many were at a loss about what to do next, including Sean Hilbert, CEO of Cobra Aero, a rural manufacturer in Hillsdale, Michigan. Hilbert, whose main business is making youth competition motorcycles, heard that the drone business was in dire need of a qualified engine manufacturer. He heard stories of expensive failures caused by [read more]