Regional Talent Initiative Overview
#MakeItMSP
As part of our mission as the economic development partnership for Minneapolis Saint Paul, GREATER MSP and more than 1,000 partners created a regional economic development strategy in 2013. “Prioritizing Talent” is one of the three pillars of that strategy because our talented people have long been our region’s greatest competitive advantage. Globally competitive regions are working together to develop, retain and attract top talent. Yet, no regional effort exists here to retain and attract the professional talent critical to the success of this region.
In response, GREATER MSP built a cross-sector, cross-generational Talent Task Force in 2014. This CEO-led team worked from July to December to build the case for regional action on talent retention and attraction, shape a new brand platform or theme that will resonate with young talent, and design a regional plan of action.
A combination of data analysis and stakeholder engagement led the Task Force to converge around five goals that give the new talent initiative substance and scope:
• Improve Social Inclusion
• Support Innovative Talent
• Connect Talent to Our Community
• Connect Talent & Employers
• Close Near-Term Talent Gaps.
GREATER MSP is now working with members of the Task Force and dozens of other private, public and nonprofit partners to create action strategies connected to these goals. We are building teams of partners who are identifying specific opportunities for collaboration and the resources necessary to move to implementation. This early action among a core group of partners will culminate in a Launch Summit for the new talent initiative this September. Stay tuned for details and let us know if you would like to get connected to the conversation!
Next week: Watch for a blog post with Talent Task Force members Bert Colianni of Marquette Companies and Pollen's Jamie Millard expressing why they believe this effort is crucial.