"It's even more apparent now than before, what made Michigan prosperous in the past is no longer our path to prosperity," according to Michigan Future Inc. president Lou Glazer, as reported by the Detroit News. The Ann Arbor-based think tank recently released its third annual progress report on Michigan’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. Many high-wage jobs in manufacturing with low educational requirements have been lost and “gone forever,” the report explains. During the recession 96% of lost jobs in Michigan had lower educational requirements, whereas there was only a 4% loss in highly educated fields.
Instead of attempting to recreate the prosperity that Michigan’s auto and manufacturing industries once enjoyed, the report suggests that there is an immediate need to attract more entrepreneurs, new start-ups, and knowledge-based workers. Glazer told Crain’s Detroit Business; “I think the best way to do it is to create schools with a college-going culture, in addition to trying to get parents to deliver the massage...The second thing is when they graduate from college, you’ve got to keep them here. That’s where we’ve been arguing for a while - quality of place and vibrant central cities matter.”
Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info
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