Employers & Advocates

The jobs of the future are evolving faster than ever. More jobs will need a strong foundation in problem-solving and other STEM skills because every company is a technology company today. Hence, STEM literacy from a young age is important for whatever field a student today may pursue. 

Newton's Road is actively working with our region's businesses, schools, economic and workforce development organizations to more meaningfully inform our youth and their families about the stable, long-term career opportunities available for young adults armed with STEM-related skills in our region. These partners include Northwestern Michigan College, Northwest Michigan Works, Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council, Traverse Connect and many others. 

For a list of our regional STEM Career Advocates, please visit our STEM Map. In addition, a growing number of regional employers are active STEM Career advocates; dozens of regional businesses are represented in our Career Investigator for Northwest Michigan Employers tab.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Career Investigator for Northwest Michigan

The Career Investigator for Northwest Michigan, is an online platform that helps students explore STEM-related careers that are in high demand in our region, as well as local programs (Local Advantage Pathways) to attain them with less time and cost, and the employers who could hire them locally some day. It also connects youth to work experiences offered by local businesses such as internships, summer jobs, apprenticeships and more. It is Northwest Michigan Works’ tool of choice for their youth and adult career exploration services.

Career Investigator YouTube Tour

Ways to engage:

  1. Complete your employer profile (this takes less than an hour) to inform students and parents about your organization's mission, workforce needs and ways you support students with internal training programs, internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, etc. Your profile will include connections to the STEM-related careers you hire, and your logo will be included on the Career Profile for each career you select. 
  2. Become a Partner by contributing career content such as videos, additional resources and career pathways.
  3. Become a Sponsor of the Career Investigator for increased advocate visibility and supports keeping the content relevant over time.

Career Exploration Programs

Connecting youth to in-person career exploration opportunities can be life-changing! 

  • Businesses and other advocates can join Newton's Road in supporting career-related events like the ones below for youth or inclusive of youth: 
    • MiCareerQuest Northwest: Hosted by Northwest Michigan Works, area 9th Grade students and employers meetup at the TC Convention Center each May.
    • Northern Michigan Startup Week: a celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the growing startup community in Northern Michigan, including a Student Pitch Night organized by Newton's Road.
    • GTAMC Manufacturing Day: a celebration of modern manufacturing in our area with the purpose of inspiring greatness in our next generation of manufacturers—by allowing students to see it in action!
  • Invite Newton's Road to participate in your local career expo events, where we can present and/or have a booth to share youth career exploration opportunities with attendees, including our Career Investigator. 
  • Volunteer to do classroom career visits, school career days, and more through the Northwestern Lower Michigan Region MiSTEM Network. 

If you are interested in helping Newton's Road develop a regional workforce pipeline for high in-demand careers, please contact Barb Termaat (barbt@newtonsroad.org).