Business+education=results; The message to the business community is loud and clear: get involved! The Detroiter spotlights some opportunities where you can make a difference.

Your Child

Margaret Trimer-Hartley has a clear message for businesses: "Stand up and shout!"

Trimer-Hartley is the director of Your Child, a nonprofit coalition of education and family organizations dedicated to connecting the dots between Michigan's educational system and the needs of the 21st century workplace.

Your Child has conducted a number of studies which show a startling disconnect between what parents think is important in terms of their children's education and the real world. One study, for example, reveals that only one in four Michigan parents believes getting a "good education" is essential to their child's success in life.

"Our families and our institutions are not supporting the higher education levels needed for the knowledge economy, and this is really alarming," says Trimer-Hartley. "Businesses are part of the culture, and they need to add their voices to the conversation about the importance of post-secondary education to their workforce needs."

Another Your Child study, released during the Chamber's 2006 Mackinac Policy Conference, notes that while many employers demand top-flight graduates, they hire low-skilled workers and then grouse about their lack of qualifications and workforce readiness.

Only about half of Michigan businesses in this study were satisfied with the overall quality of graduates coming out of the state's high schools and colleges, but those who were least satisfied and most vocal were also the most likely to hire minimally qualified workers.

"What's the quality of your workforce? Are you happy with it?" is the rhetorical question Trimer-Hartley poses to the business community. "You need to say more than you are not happy. You need to say, 'We will be successful and happy with college-educated workers who can do such-and-such.' We need businesses to say to their employees, 'To work here, your sons and daughters are going to need to follow a different path than you did, and here's what it looks like.' Paint the picture!"

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Trimer-Hartley, a former director of communications for the Michigan Education Association and former education reporter for the Detroit Free Press, believes it's imperative for the business community, as a key stakeholder, to support and participate in the work of Your Child.

One good way to get involved is to let Your Child conduct a free lunch-and-learn presentation at your business featuring an expert speaker and informational materials. Your Child can also provide paycheck inserts and monthly e-mail messages. Businesses can also sponsor community forums, which can generate some good PR as a side benefit.

For more information, visit www.yourchildmichigan.org, call [phone] or e-mail: [e-mail].

Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program

The Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) is dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented students who are academically prepared to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematies. It's no coincidence that these fields hold the key to our region's economic future.

The 31-year-old program provides enriching academic programming and intensive technology exposure to K-12 students across the metro area. In addition to their classroom work, DAPCEP students also get hands-on opportunities in real-world work environments.

"We provide our service at no cost, so DAPCEP is always in need of funding sources to maintain our quality programs," says Executive Director Jason D. Lee. "We also encourage businesses with expertise in the engineering, science or math fields to assist us in providing our young people exposure to the latest innovations in technology. Our young people need to be aware of the opportunities in these fields."

Through a variety of programs and services, DAPCEP reaches out to students who might not otherwise be encouraged to explore careers in science, mathematics and engineering. Currently more than 4,200 students are participating in the program, about 95 percent of them African Americans.

DAPCEP programming is traditionally held on Saturday mornings in the spring and fall. DAPCEP has created a special program for children in kindergarten through third grade to motivate youth at an early age. Working in conjunction with its program partners, DAPCEP provides residential and computer-based summer program opportunities for 6th through 12th graders.

DAPCEP also serves more than 1,300 young people through its acclaimed In-School Program in partnership with Detroit Public Schools. This program provides teachers support, curriculum and resources for structured hands-on experimentation and exposure to science, engineering and technology. The work of students participating in this program is often showcased at the Metro Detroit Science Fair and local universities.

For more information, visit www.dapeep.org.

Mentor Michigan

One-on-one mentoring is a great opportunity for business leaders to share their knowledge and their passion for our region's future with the young people who will soon be facing critical choices about their career paths.

Mentor Michigan provides a good foundation for business involvement. Led by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and First Gentleman Dan Mulhern, Mentor Michigan is a statewide mentoring program aimed at providing young people with stable, ongoing relationships with caring individuals.

Working with mentoring programs throughout the state, Mentor Michigan recruits mentors, develops partners and champions, advocates for mentoring issues and standards, provides resources and training, and recognizes the accomplishments of mentors and the organizations that support them.

Mulhern, who serves as a consultant to the Chamber's Leadership Detroit program, notes that the estimated 30,000 children in Michigan involved with mentors "have experiences that elevate them and increase their chances of success."

And their success is our success.

For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mentormichigan.

The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation

A child's educational process doesn't start in kindergarten or even in pre-school. It begins at birth.

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Business, education, philanthropic and civic leaders in the Miami-Dade County metro area recognized that fact when they launched The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation in 1999 to develop a comprehensive early childhood education and development program in a region where one out of every three children lives in poverty.

In 2000, the Foundation unveiled a master plan that aims to achieve "universal readiness" for Miami-Dade's 160,000 children between birth and age 5, giving them the chance to develop intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically so they are ready and eager to learn by the time they reach first grade.

Experts say this early intervention is critical. Recent federal statistics show a growing number of children face extreme obstacles to learning before they enter school, and it is estimated that about a third of all children begin kindergarten already behind.

The Miami-Dade plan is built on an integrated service approach, which focuses on boosting the quality and number of affordable child-care centers and providing a baseline of family services, including health care and abuse prevention. The initiative relies on strong partnerships with businesses, schools, service providers and faith-based communities to achieve its aggressive goals.

David Lawrence Jr., former publisher of the Detroit Free Press and the Miami Herald, is the Foundation's president. Lawrence retired after 35 years in the daily newspaper business to devote his efforts full time to "school readiness." Through his efforts, The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation was the starting place for the establishment of The Children's Trust, a dedicated funding source for the children of Miami-Dade County.

Could a similar initiative work in the Detroit Region? Although very different in many respects, the Detroit and Miami metro areas face similar educational challenges. Despite pockets of affluence, both are home to a significant percentage of people who are under-skilled, undereducated and impoverished. And that does not bode well for the 21st century workforce.

For more information, visit www.teachmorelovemore.org

Read "Michigan: The No. 1 Quality Workforce in the Nation?" by Roberts T. Jones at DETROITER Online www.detroitchamber.com/detroiter