BUILDING A SKILLED WORKFORCE: Northern Michigan University and Able Medical Devices Collaborate to Drive Talent Retention in Michigan
BY ABLE MEDICAL DEVICES IN COLLABORATION WITH NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
The Upper Peninsula community of Marquette, idyllically located on the shore of Lake Superior, is home to three medical device manufacturers. Its relatively small population of about 21,000 limits the pool of prospective employees, so the companies have devised innovative approaches to training and retaining a qualified workforce to fuel their rapid growth. One example is their collaboration on a Work Scholars pilot program with Northern Michigan University’s Engineering Technology Department. From their freshman year forward, NMU students receive paid, work-based learning experiences under the guidance of professional mentors. The goal is to prepare them for a successful career in a well-paying, high-demand sector that will allow them to remain in this desirable area of Michigan after graduation. The manufacturers benefit by providing curriculum insight that ensures students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to meet evolving industry demands. They also maintain impactful connections with these potential employees throughout their education, which will hopefully aid in recruitment and retention. 14
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Able Medical Devices is one of the companies that has focused on reviving a collaboration with NMU that was originally established by Pioneer Surgical Technology in the 1990s, based on the vision of founder Matthew Songer. “Matthew had a vision of creating a high-skilled labor force that required people around here get up to speed on CNC equipment,” said Adam Paltzer, vice president of Business Development at Able, who worked at Pioneer and has more than 25 years’ experience in medical device manufacturing. “There was no other place to draw talent from, so we had to develop something ourselves. Our management worked closely with NMU’s CNC program and, based on that success, Able wanted to reignite that relationship and align with the university in a similar way. This partnership requires a two-way investment by both sides–not just financially, but in time, energy and passion–to have the impact it does on creating jobs, acquiring talent locally and keeping people in the area.” NMU has a full CNC lab, a full manual machine shop lab, a print lab and 3D modeling. Able, a portfolio organization of Michigan-based asset manager Longyear, made a financial contribution so NMU could purchase two Swiss turn machines to add to its arsenal of training tools. Robert