What will it take to get Michiganders into good jobs?
The Center for Michigan has spent the last year asking questions of more than 5,000 Michiganders for its "Getting to Work" public engagement campaign.
This is the sixth such public engagement campaign conducted by the non-profit and nonpartisan Center for Michigan.
It's a way for citizens to get their concerns, views and proposed solutions out there for a statewide discussion.
John Bebow is president and CEO of The Center for Michigan, and Amber DeLind is its outreach director.
We spoke with them today.
Here is the take-home message from the report:
If you want to prosper in Michigan, prepare early and train often. In the wake of the Great Recession, good jobs are still difficult to find – and almost always require a college degree or other forms of formal training after high school. And Michigan needs to clear big hurdles to make career preparation more available, relevant, and affordable.
And here are five public priorities the group found for moving Michigan closer to better jobs:
1. Greatly improve career counseling and college advising in Michigan high schools. 2. Make college more affordable. 3. Decrease student debt loads. 4. Intensify hands-on training and work experience for youth 5. Intensify retraining and continuing education for adults.
