Closing the skills gap is the most critical issue facing Michigan’s future. That’s according to Gov. Rick Snyder, who made the remarks during his second annual economic summit in Grand Rapids Tuesday.
“We have a lot of wonderful openings but they require more skills than people traditionally thought about,” Snyder said.
Snyder says the notion that people only need a college degree to get ahead is “messed up.” He says the state, the private sector and education institutes must do a better job preparing the state’s labor force to get into middle-class jobs that are available.
He stressed "Three C’s": collaboration, creating talent, and connecting supply and demand.
“That collaboration is about demand for talent. The education sector is about the supply of talent – let’s put supply and demand together, basic economics,” he said.
Snyder will address the topic again at an education summit planned for next month.
