What Michigan needs to learn from Amazon HQ2
As we all now know Amazon picked New York City and the northern Virginia inner ring suburbs of Washington D.C. for their HQ2. Both characterized by high concentrations of those with four-year degrees or more and extensive transit systems. As we have written before No talent, no transit, no Amazon. There are three key lessons that […]
Ford and Detroit alarm bells
Recent bond reports from Moody’s on Ford and the city of Detroit should be setting off alarm bells. Both reports paint a picture of the Michigan economy far different that the celebratory tone of most Michigan policy makers and business leaders. (You can find a Detroit Free Press article, entitled Ford investment rating cut to […]
GM needs rock climbing engineers
A recent Detroit Free Press article entitled GM’s job cuts shift to a new kind of worker needed is worth checking out. It is a pretty dramatic example of the reality that––even for those with STEM degrees (in this case engineers)––the foundation skills for all are what we call rock climbing skills, not job-specific skills. The […]
Community colleges need to be redesigned
At least rhetorically––not so much when it comes to funding––there is a lot of support on a bi-partisan basis for community colleges. They are seen as critical to preparing workers for the skilled trades and other mid-skill jobs. Occupations employers claim where there is more demand than supply. To be effective institutions of better matching […]
Baseball statistics and standardized tests
After reading the title of this post, I’m sure many of you are asking “What does baseball statistics have to do with standardized tests?” The subtitle of Keith Law’s book Smart Baseball provides a clue to the answer: The story behind the old stats that are ruining the game, the new ones that are running […]