Need for Skilled Workers

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Snyder summit focuses on need for skilled workers

• By Brian J. O'Connor
• Detroit News Finance Editor

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130318/POLITICS02/303180373#ixzz2O7a5Y2Jc

Detroit — Gov. Rick Snyder opened a two-day conference Monday on how Michigan should meet the current and future need for workers with the right training, education and skills for the state's employers.

The Governor's Economic Summit, which runs Monday and Tuesday at Cobo Center, includes more than 700 business, education and local government leaders in discussions on how to fill the state's "skills gap." Even though unemployment in the state remains high, employers continually report that they cannot find enough workers with the proper training or skills to fill their vacancies.

"We want to hear from employers," Snyder told the opening session of the summit. "The reality is that there are employers in this room with open jobs."

Stressing a theme of collaboration, creation and connection, Snyder added that, "The greatest asset that we have in our state is our talent. The problem is that we don't do a good job of talent management."

Snyder and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., which is presenting the summit, are looking to emphasize making more connections between the private sector and the state's schools, community colleges and universities. The summit also has seeks to stress regional cooperation that would create different solutions in Metro Detroit than in Grand Rapids or the Upper Peninsula.

One first step Snyder seeks is to develop a consistent definition of Michigan's various economic and geographic regions. The summit will feature breakout sessions among leaders in 10 different regions, seeking to identify opportunities and roadblocks for growth and matching worker training and skills to current and future jobs.

"In additional to the talent topic I want to get to this whole case of having a primary set of regions we can use for all purposes," Snyder said, as he scrolled through a selection of slides showing dozens of different regional divisions for the state. "We've got 30 or 40 different ways of defining our regions."

Monday afternoon the summit will focus on industry-specific challenges, after taking the regional approach in the morning. Tuesday will focus on how the state can compete in the global tug-of-war in job creations, and share reports from the previous day's break-out sessions.

boconnor@detroitnews.com

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130318/POLITICS02/303180373#ixzz2O7a9xwFH