MEDC Campaign: Get Young People To Live, Work In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - Students and young professionals are getting the grand tour of Detroit Wednesday, as part of a program to attract top talent for top jobs.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is launching a campaign to get more young people to live and work in Detroit. The three-day campaign begins Wednesday, on a LiveWorkDetroit tour.
Tangie Jones with the Workforce Development Agency said she learned a lot about the "D" after taking the tour, and that's after she lived in the city.
"I was really excited because there was so much information, so much history about the city that I didn't get while I was living there."
Jones said the tour changed her opinions of the city.
"It gave me a new view of Detroit and it made me have a little bit more pride in Detroit than when I lived there. I had so much pride when I lived there, I loved it, but this just gave me that extra boost, that I'm in a great place, that this is really an exciting place to be."
According to the website simplyhired.com, Detroit is the nation's 4th best market to find a job and buy a home. And while employers say the jobs are here, economists say there's a disconnect between the people and the opportunities.
A September 10 report in "The Economist" found that even with relatively high unemployment, top talent is in short supply globally. Michigan is one of the first state's in the nation to make talent attraction and retention a core part of its efforts to grow the economy and spur economic development.
For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit michiganadvantage.org.
