The landscape of Michigan’s job market continues to evolve, and Michigan business owners are ready to hire. Of those with openings, two-thirds report difficulty filling the positions. The ongoing diversification of industries and an increasing focus on attracting technology firms to the state means many of these are highly technical roles that require niche expertise. Michigan’s mission is to educate and keep graduates here to fill these roles in coming years, but in the interim, many corporations are struggling to uncover talent that will help their businesses grow and succeed.

I recently met Annie Fenton, program director for Michigan International Talent Solutions (MITS), which was created by the Michigan Office for New Americans (MONA) to connect employers with international professionals, uniquely focusing on STEM fields. She works closely and tirelessly with Michigan companies as an alternative sourcing tool to find the candidates they need to fit specialized positions. Her role as a “talent concierge” is to build bridges between companies and job seekers, and she’s received incredible response. During a conversation, she shared insights on the program, which all Michigan companies should consider as they seek to find the right fits for available roles.

Q: How would you describe the vision of the MITS program and its benefits to Michigan companies?

Our mission is to be a valued connection point for Michigan businesses. We open up a global talent pipeline that can identify ideal job candidates for specific roles – and we do so at no cost to the employer. Approximately 50 percent of MITS job seekers are in professions with critical skill shortages, and, on average, have seven years of industry experience. These job seekers have a similar but reverse challenge to that of the employers – finding jobs that fit their unique expertise. They’re ready and primed for these roles, and MITS helps break down barriers on both sides of the equation.

Q: What is the response to MITS’ services from the employer community?

The response has been incredible! We’re really encouraged by the stories we hear from our job seekers and the companies who have hired them. A great example is Gordon Thompson, director of human resources and production operations at Kawasaki Robotics (USA) Inc. in Wixom. A PhD robotics engineer role opened up at the company, and Gordon pursued the typical channels seeking a candidate. As you can imagine, the pool of job seekers fitting this description was already limited out of the gate. In pursuit of the right fit, he tried head hunters and even conducted a nationwide job search, and unfortunately none of his efforts turned up the right person for the role. MITS was able to introduce a brand new talent pool and match an ideal candidate to the role, which is of incredible value to the HR professionals we work with ongoing.  This is just one of many success stories – and it’s one case that contributes to our 90 percent retention rate one year after hire.

As Gordon has shared, good people are a challenge to find. As MITS works closely with these candidates as they enter our pipeline, we are confident that the candidates we present to employers will be a fit for the role, the team dynamics and the skill sets needed to succeed.

Q: For companies who may not have heard of MITS, what can they expect from the process?

Our goal is to make it seamless for companies to engage with MITS. When a company reaches out to MITS with a specific candidate need, we search our Michigan-based job seeker pool and, if necessary, reach out to our national partners to find the people they need. Within 48 hours, we aim to provide a slate of job seekers to the employer to review – and we ensure that every candidate meets no less than 85 percent of the criteria the employer outlines. Oftentimes, the employer chooses several to bring into the interview process, and we continue to work closely with the employer until the role is filled.

What we want is for employers to view MITS as an extension of the hard work done by human resources departments statewide. Our hope is that companies will have great experiences finding candidates through this process and will continue to turn to MITS to fill niche gaps.

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For employers interested in learning more about the MITS program and accessing its international candidate pool, contact Annie Fenton at fentona@michigan.gov or visit www.michigan.gov/mona for details.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.