On Wednesday, October, 31, in an exclusive DEC meeting, the Honorable Bill Schuette (R) and the Honorable Gretchen Whitmer (D) answered audience questions on several issues facing Michigan ahead of next week’s gubernatorial election. Topics were focused on business issues and included education, health care and infrastructure.

Jobs and talent were another point of conversation and both candidates offered their insights.

“The issue of talent is really about how we grow our state,” said Schuette. “And we need to have a bigger, deeper, broader pool of people. And for us to grow and for us to succeed, we need to make sure that our state attracts a diverse workforce and we have more people coming to Michigan.”

Whitmer stressed the need to showcase skilled trade opportunities.

“There is no question that we need people to go into the trades across the state,” said Whitmer. “There is some great local stuff that is happening here in Detroit, but we need a statewide strategy.”