St. Joe's Workshop

Oakland Community College, in cooperation with Automation Alley, the Rochester Regional Chamber, and the Oakland County Economic Development Business Center, announces the launch of the first Shifting Gears program for transitioning executives and managers in Oakland County.

Shifting Gears is an intensive five-month experience for corporate executives and managers in transition that prepares them for working in small businesses.  This program helps them adapt to the small business environment and provides networking, coaching and internship opportunities with dynamic local start-ups and second-stage businesses.

Launched in Ann Arbor last year through a unique partnership with Sensei Change Associates and Ann Arbor SPARK, the program was so successful that a cross-country collaboration was formed to enable other counties in Southeastern Michigan to adapt the Shifting Gears Program.  Ann Arbor SPARK is supporting its Oakland County partners in the launch of its very first Shifting Gears program, while also preparing for its own third Shifting Gears cohort which also begins this February.

“We are thrilled to have this great partnership that will help connect transitioning executives and managers to small innovative companies that are the cornerstone of our future economy,” said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

OCC’s partners in the project, Automation Alley, the Rochester Regional Chamber, and Oakland County Business Center will provide access to start-up and second phase businesses for mentoring, 80 hour internships, mock interviews, and networking.