Talent for Tomorrow: Missouri Department of Economic Development

Missouri has identified a growing gap in education and the workforce. The purpose of the Talent for Tomorrow
initiative is to create a systematic or coordinated approach to better serve the workforce to be career ready and to
meet business' needs to create a resilient workforce. Our vision statement for this project is "Every Missourian
deserves an opportunity to earn a life with dignity." Missouri conducted a labor market analysis and ranks nearly last
in all key performance indicators in the Midwest, such as GDP, quality and availability of our workforce, and
productivity of our workforce. To be the best in the Midwest, Mardy Leathers-Director of Workforce Development, Rob
Dixon- Director of Economic Development, and Zora Mulligan-Commissioner for Higher Education, have collaborated
and coordinated efforts to mitigate this destructive problem.