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Best in Midwest is an initiative that is transforming Missouri's Department of Economic Development into the top economic development agency in the Midwest. The Best in Midwest initiative created a new statewide strategy for economic development, led by DED. ​The initiative focuses extensively on helping businesses grow and create jobs and helping workers access training and acquire skills to find employment. Addressing this need required DED to review its programs and structure, ensuring services are aligned with the business community’s needs.
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​The Department of Economic Development, the Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, and the Hawthorn Foundation launched an initiative that fundamentally reset Missouri’s approach to meeting our state’s workforce needs. This transformational project is the cornerstone of a comprehensive strategy that is positioning Missouri to excel in a global economy changed by trade, technology, and other dynamic forces. The final product included an assessment of our previous workforce and how well it matched our needs, deep dives into target economic sectors, economic scenario analysis, identification of pilot projects, and recommendations for an overall workforce strategy.
To learn more, visit the data and presentations archive .

PRIORITIES MOVING MISSOURI FORWARD

​STRATEGY FRAMEWORK: WE WANT TO BE THE BEST.

INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN MISSOURI’S WORKFORCE
Becoming the Best Place to Live and Work
  • Quality of life
  • Quality of place
  • Attracting talent
  • Retaining talent
Connecting All Missourians with Work
  • Leveraging public aid programs to incentivize work
  • Easing the reentry from the criminal justice system
  • Improving access to work for people with disabilities
  • Removing barriers to work, like lack of transportation and family care
 
INCREASING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MISSOURI’S WORKFORCE
Developing a Labor Market that Works
  • Increasing overall educational attainment
  • Increasing overall educational attainment for populations and areas with relatively low levels of education
  • Preparing people for work in high-demand fields
  • Offering more certificate and alternative credential programs
  • Ensuring that those who hold degrees have the skills expected of people with degrees
  • Aligning educational requirements with actual job duties
  • Aligning K-12, higher education, and the workforce system
Working in a 21st Century Way
  • Encouraging businesses to adopt technology more quickly
  • Teaching people how to use technology at work
Building Infrastructure to Drive Economic Development
  • Improving roads, bridges, ports, and other transportation infrastructure
  • Expanding access to high-speed internet
  • Modernizing utility and energy infrastructure
  • Connecting directly to the world from our airports
​COMPETING TO WIN
Working Together/Competing Together
  • Bridging the urban-rural divide
  • Building cooperation among and within regions
  • Partnering with neighbor states when it’s to our advantage
Creating a New Approach to Economic Development
  • Transforming the Department of Economic Development
  • Creating a brand that tells our story better than anyone else
  • Supporting business attraction, expansion, retention, and entrepreneurship
  • Increasing exports and foreign direct investment
  • Modernizing and improving our incentives
  • Creating the easiest state in which to start and operate a business
SOCIAL

blog & Podcast

Episode 1: The Time is Now
Check out the first installment of the MoTalent podcast and blog series. Hear real voices talk about economic and workforce development.
Episode 2: How we got here
In our second episode, we begin by talking with a group of individuals responsible for attracting and retaining employers and talent to the state of Missouri.
Click here for the latest MoTalent podcasts.

initiative partners