Behinds Quote by Jennifer Granholm
“The most powerful recent innovation in government is when states aggressively use community colleges for retraining. In Michigan, where large numbers of workers were displaced from the manufacturing industry, we created a wildly successful program: No Worker Left Behind.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Remarks at Michigan Economic Development Conference, 2022
States can boost economic resilience by leveraging community colleges to retrain displaced workers, as shown by Michigan’s No Worker Left Behind program.
In simple terms: Community colleges can quickly retrain workers for new jobs.
Invest in local education to match labor market needs.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- industrial decline
- job displacement
- regional economic planning
- career transition
- policy design
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can other states replicate Michigan’s model?
- What barriers exist for workers returning to school?
Success depends on sustained funding and employer collaboration.