Keynote speaker Jim Brazell spent the past week in the Upper Peninsula
MARQUETTE -- Education is key, according to key note speaker Jim Brazell at Friday's Upper Great Lakes Summit at Northern Michigan University.
He's spent this past week in the Upper Peninsula, seeing what the U.P. has to offer.
"The U.P. Has it all. It has a diversified economy, it has a great K-12 community college and university system, a supportive workforce economic development system with businesses who really want to make things happen," said Brazell.
During his trip to the U.P., Brazell visited the Tilden Mine and Superior Extrusion in Gwinn, who are two businesses that are looking to hire more than the average high school graduate.
He says they want at least two years of higher education.
"The big challenge is to prepare students for at least two years of education beyond high school, so whether that's an associate's degree or university degree, college education for all students is needed," Brazell added.
And, educators agree.
"Gone are the days where you can graduate from high school and immediately step into a very good job and be there for the next forty years. Students today, when they graduate from high school, will need some level of training," said MARESA Superintendent Steve Peffers.
To learn more about Jim Brazell's outlook, click here.
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