Stunio /// Drive Jackson /// Jackson County, MI
Jackson Elevate
A community workforce portal built to deliver Goal B of the Drive Jackson 20-Year Vision Plan: Invest in Education and Learning.
Prepared by Stunio for the Drive Jackson campaign · August 2026
The problem Drive Jackson names
Jackson County is shrinking, aging and under-credentialed.
−10%
projected county population decline by 2050. The city has already lost 40% since 1960
60%+
of residents hold no college degree; only 1 in 4 hold a bachelor's or higher
1 of 6
Michigan counties over 160,000 residents with no state university
Young people leave for school and careers and don't come back. Since 2013 the working-age population has declined while residents over 65 have grown. Source: Drive Jackson Strategic Plan, 2026.
Drive Jackson · Goal B
Invest in Education and Learning
so that everyone has access to best-in-class education, leading to widespread prosperity, enabling all residents to thrive
B.2.5 is the linchpin. Attraction and retention only work when residents and employers can actually find each other. That takes a working platform where opportunities are posted, matched, and tracked.
B.1Enhance the quality of education for youth
B.1.1Connect students to wraparound services
B.1.3Improve access to early education programs
B.1.4Build partnerships between schools, businesses and community organizations
B.2Promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
B.2.1Create career opportunities with upward mobility
B.2.2Accessible skill development and adult education
B.2.4Expand networking and mentorship opportunities
B.2.5Launch a talent attraction and retention campaign
How does a county actually do this?
Workforce development fails without a centralized platform.
Siloed initiatives
Colleges, employers and agencies each run their own programs, and none of them see each other
No shared data
Enrollments, completions and placements aren't tracked county-wide, so progress can't be proven
Invisible opportunity
Residents can't find what exists; employers can't find local talent that's ready
What it takes
One shared platform where every partner posts, matches and measures on the same rails
Anchor institutions supporting this initiative
Jackson College
Est. 1928
Baker College
Jackson Campus
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, MI
Henry Ford Health
Jackson
JAMA
Jackson Area Manufacturers Assn.
The solution
One portal for the whole county.
The Jackson Elevate Community Portal connects residents, local businesses and the City of Jackson on a single hub: a white-label of the Stunio platform, built specifically for Drive Jackson.
Residents enroll and get matched to opportunities
Businesses post jobs, internships and shifts
City resources: housing, childcare, transit, training
Live participation and placement reporting
Proven Stunio technology, carrying Drive Jackson's name and Jackson's brand
Plan to platform
How the portal delivers Goal B
B.1.4
Partnerships between schools, businesses and community organizations
→
Business directory & groups: every Jackson County employer on one hub
B.2.1 / B.2.6
Career opportunities with upward mobility, aligned to local workforce needs
→
Opportunities hub: jobs, internships and shifts matched to residents
B.1.1 / B.2.2
Wraparound services and accessible skill development for all ages
→
City resources: housing, childcare, transportation and training in one place
B.2.5
Opportunity-oriented talent attraction and retention campaign
→
Placement & engagement reports: proof the campaign is working
The opportunity
Free for every Jackson County business.
For a full year.
For a full year.
Drive Jackson funds the initiative, and every business in the county gets full platform access at no cost for twelve months to test, grow, and build this program alongside the Chamber and Drive Jackson.
1
Drive Jackson invests
One sponsorship covers the whole county with no per-business cost, no procurement hurdles
2
Businesses join free
Twelve months of free access for every Jackson County business to post, match and hire
3
We build it together
Stunio, the Chamber and Drive Jackson shape the program with real usage from day one
We have a unique opportunity to build something together.
Measured against the plan
Goal B success measures, tracked live
✓Students enrolled in trades and workforce training, year by year
✓Residents completing workforce training programs
✓Youth and teen program participation rates
✓Overall educational attainment for all residents
Multiple Michigan counties are starting similar planning processes. Jackson can be the first to deliver, and own the model for county-scale workforce development.
