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Gov. Snyder emphasis on blue-collar jobs

(Patrick Tehan/Bay Area)

(Patrick Tehan/Bay Area)

Only a few short years ago, Michigan leaders talked excitedly about diversifying the state’s economy beyond the auto industry, envisioning a Silicon Valley-style workforce that would be less dependent on manufacturing and more invested in technology and green energy. It’s the same dream shared by virtually every other governor whose state once relied on factory jobs. But it has collided with a stark reality: Car production is booming, Michigan’s skilled tradesmen are getting older and there aren’t enough qualified people to replace them in a labor pool that has started to shift away from industrial jobs. A report from the Brookings Institution reveals that 20 percent of U.S. jobs require skills in the STEM fields — science, technology, math or engineering — but not necessarily a college degree.

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