TalentFirst

It's in the books! We celebrated with Vanderbilt Charter Academy students, teachers, staff and families in Holland as we presented the school with a Literacy Leader Award on Friday. Vanderbilt, a National Heritage Academies school, was one of six schools in West Michigan that we recognized this year for their commitment and success in early literacy. Joining us in the celebration were Leslie Brown, chairman of Metal Flow and a member of our CEO Council; Lisa Hungerford, our director of education innovation; and state Rep. Nancy De Boer and state Sen. Roger Victory, who presented the school with a legislative tribute to go with a $1,000 donation to the school from TalentFirst members. The awards program has been a rewarding way to celebrate March Is Reading Month. Learn more about why improving early literacy is critical to the success and well-being of our families, our economy, our communities and our state: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt

Let's hear it for Walnut Hills Elementary in the Greenville Public Schools, where students, staff and teachers show what it means to be great readers! We presented Walnut Hills with a 2025 Literacy Leader Award on Thursday — a great way to celebrate March Is National Reading Month. As Principal Jen Mahar said: "Our students, their families, and our staff have worked hard to tune into what matters most, and we’re so excited to see that our hard work is paying off." Along with TalentFirst CEO Council member Jon DeWys, President Kevin Stotts and Lisa Hungerford, our director of education, the celebration included tributes from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state Sen. Rick Outman — and more cookies donated by Meijer! Walnut Hills was one of six West Michigan elementary schools selected by TalentFirst to receive a 2025 Literacy Leader Award for outstanding achievement in reading skills and instruction. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt

Check out this roomful of readers: Congratulations to Glenwood Elementary in the Kentwood Public Schools for earning a 2025 Literacy Leader Award! We were honored to join with students, teachers and staff on Tuesday to applaud their accomplishment — because reading is the foundation of success in school, employment and life. Along with TalentFirst CEO Council member Leslie Brown, President Kevin Stotts and Lisa Hungerford, our director of education, the celebration included Carly Swanson, who presented a tribute from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Kate Kooyman, who presented a tribute from state Sen. Winnie Brinks and state Rep. Philip Skaggs. Glenwood was one of six West Michigan elementary schools selected by TalentFirst to receive a 2025 Literacy Leader Award for outstanding achievement in reading skills and instruction. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt What a great way to celebrate March Is Reading Month! Stay tuned for more celebrations!

Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has updated the FAQs for ESTA. You can check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eeKQA_tz #hrleadership #ESTA

Congratulations to the Cougars of Cross Creek Charter Academy for being outstanding readers! We were happy to celebrate with students, staff, teachers and parents as we presented Cross Creek with a Literacy Leader Award last week. The timing was icing on the cookie (more on that later) for March Is Reading Month. Cross Creek, a National Heritage Academies school in Byron Center, was one of six West Michigan elementary schools selected by TalentFirst to receive a 2025 Literacy Leader Award for outstanding achievement in reading skills and instruction. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt The celebration included a tribute from state Rep. Angela Rigas, and congratulations from TalentFirst CEO Council member Leslie Brown and Lisa Hungerford, our director of education. The blue teeth are courtesy of Meijer, which has donated hundreds of cookies — more than 800 for Cross Creek — for each of our celebrations. Stay tuned for more celebrations to come. And let's hear it for all the great schools, students and staff who are leading the way in reading instruction!

?? HR Leadership in an Era of Disruption ?? What an incredible gathering of HR leaders at our recent TalentFirst HR Council meeting! The room was buzzing with engaging table discussions as HR execs shared the disruptions they’re experiencing now—and, more importantly, what they’re doing about it. ?? Key Highlights: ? Organizational Agility & Resilience – An insightful presentation from TalentFirst's Carly Smyly, MSOP, SHRM-SCP on how HR leaders can strengthen their organizations to anticipate, adapt, and thrive in an unpredictable landscape. ? HR Leadership Now & Into the Future – A thought-provoking panel discussion on topics including mental health at work, workforce agility, being strategic business leaders, and the future of HR leadership. ?? Now, we want to hear from you! If you attended, drop your key takeaways in the comments below. What resonated most with you? Let’s keep the conversation going! ?? ?? A shoutout of gratitude to Charlotte Byndas & the Corewell Health team for hosting the HR Council meeting, and to our panelists — Lisa Cooper, PHR, SHRM-CP, Kacey Regan, Ashleigh Draft & Joe Dettmann, Ph.D.— for sharing your experience and expertise with our community of practice. And and extra thanks to Joe for sharing an exclusive preview of EY's CHRO 2030 study — more to come in April! #HRLeadership #OrganizationalResilience #FutureofWork #WorkforceInnovation #OrganizationalAgility #StrategicWorkforcePlanning

Let's hear it for the outstanding readers — and their teachers — at Grandville Public Schools' Central Elementary School! We had a great time celebrating with students and staff when we presented them with their 2025 Literacy Leader Award on Wednesday. Central is one of six schools we are recognizing this year for their exemplary practices in teaching reading, and the results to prove it. We can't think of a better way to celebrate March Is Reading Month. See the details here: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt

?? We’re thrilled to launch MiCareerCompass: West Michigan’s AI-Powered Opportunity Marketplace! At TalentFirst, we've partnered with West Michigan Works!, FutureFit AI, and a broad coalition of employers, educators, and community partners to launch MiCareerCompass — a single, integrated platform designed to make career exploration, skill development, and job matching easier than ever. By bridging gaps between talent and opportunity, we’re helping job seekers connect with meaningful careers and empowering employers to find qualified talent for high-demand roles. What MiCareerCompass Offers: ?? AI-powered career matching to align skills with in-demand jobs ?? Access to education, training & financial assistance to upskill and advance ?? Priority interview status with top West Michigan employers If you’re looking to start a new career or level up your skills, MiCareerCompass is your roadmap to opportunity. ?? Free for Kent, Ottawa & Muskegon County residents—Get started today! https://lnkd.in/ghZiu74Q Special thanks to our partners for making this happen: ?? Employers: Amway, Corewell Health, Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, HR Solutions Group of West Michigan, LLC, Meijer, Paramelt, and Trinity Health MI ?? Educators: Grand Rapids Community College and Muskegon Community College ?? Community Partners: Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids, Literacy Center of West Michigan, Urban League of West Michigan, West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology - WMCAT, and Women's Resource Center #MiCareerCompass #TalentFirst #FutureOfWork #WestMichiganJobs #WorkforceDevelopment

What a great way to kick off March Is National Reading Month — by celebrating with the super scholars of Shettler Elementary School in the Fruitport Community Schools! Shettler was one of six West Michigan elementary schools selected by TalentFirst to receive a 2025 Literacy Leader Award for outstanding achievement in reading skills and instruction. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efFPmEbt It was an honor to celebrate with Shettler students and staff on Tuesday. Congratulations to all of you! More celebrations to come ... stay tuned!

?? In case you missed it... ?? Last week Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) hosted a live webinar on the changes to Michigan's ESTA and minimum wage laws. Check out their resources: ? Recording of live webinar: https://lnkd.in/epi8JHY6 ? Slide deck from live webinar: https://lnkd.in/e9yBjjJw ? FAQs & resources for ESTA: https://lnkd.in/emCHdFuB ? FAQs & resources for minimum wage laws: https://lnkd.in/eJfQsR7f ???? Key Points for Earned Sick Time????? Accrual Method: If choosing the accrual method, employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, and unused paid sick time rolls over up to 72 hours.?Employers may limit the use of earned sick time to 72 hours, or 40 for a small business, in the 12-month period. Frontloading Method: Alternative to the accrual method, employers can frontload at least 72 hours of paid sick time for immediate use each year, or 40 for a small business, which eliminates the requirement for carryover or accrual tracking for full-time employees. Frontloading Part-time Employees:?Employers may frontload paid sick time for part-time employees as well, with a prorated amount, subject to specific notice and true-up requirements. New Hire Waiting Period: In the accrual method, employers may have a policy for new employees hired on or after 2/21/25 requiring these employees to wait up to 120 days before using accrued sick time. Employees accrue earned sick time during this waiting period.?If frontloading, hours are available for immediate use.? Small Business Compliance: A small business is an employer with 10 or fewer employees. Small businesses have until October 1, 2025, to comply with ESTA requirements. PTO Policy: Employers can use a combined PTO policy to meet ESTA requirements, as long as the total paid leave meets or exceeds the necessary amounts and may be used for the same purposes.? Hourly Rate: For ESTA purposes, an employee's hourly rate is their normal hourly wage or base rate and excludes overtime, holiday pay, bonuses, commissions, tips, etc.? Enforcement: LEO is responsible for enforcing ESTA.? Sick Time Increments: Employers may choose to use either one-hour increments or the smallest increment for tracking sick time usage.? ???? Key Points for Minimum Wage????? Tipped minimum wage:?Senate Bill 8?gradually increases the minimum cash wage for tipped employees from 38% of the full minimum wage to 50% of the regular minimum wage by 2031. Wage changes: Tipped minimum wage is $4.74 for the rest of 2025. Regular minimum wage:?Senate Bill 8?keeps the minimum wage to $12.48 starting Feb. 21, reaching $15 by 2027, and adjusts for inflation after that.