Grand Rapids Reporter

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced a new plan designed to bolster the state's mobility workforce while providing more accessible transportation infrastructure and developing innovative mobility policies.

The MI Future Mobility Plan will seek to maintain Michigan's position as a global leader in the automobile industry and support growth in the mobility and electrification sectors, a press release from the governor’s office said.

The plan was developed by the governor’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and its Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME).

“Michigan has a long heritage of success in automotive manufacturing and innovation,” Trevor Pawl, OFME’s chief mobility officer, said in the release. “As the mobility industry continues to grow and evolve, we are laser-focused on leveraging our state’s talented workforce, ecosystem and available business resources to make Michigan a place where multi-modal mobility solutions are born, and companies can find long-term success and support.”

Whitmer touted the long-term significance of the plan.

"Michigan put the world on wheels, and remaining the global leader in mobility and electrification depends on our ability to work together proactively to address future challenges," she said in the release. "The MI Future Mobility Plan presents a unified approach and strategy to grow Michigan’s economy, invest in our workforce, and empower communities across the state through responsive policy and programming that prepares us for the future. It includes several goals for us to work towards and brings together partners across state government to get it done. Since I took office, we have announced 25,000 good-paying auto jobs and multi-billion-dollar investments from world-leading companies in electric vehicles, chips, and batteries. We have the momentum, and this plan will help us keep moving forward."

The plan will include three key pillars, including transition and growing the state's mobility industry and workforce; providing safer, greener and more accessible transportation infrastructure; and leading the world in mobility and electrification policy and innovation.

“This strategy is a great step forward for our state and its efforts to remain the global leader in mobility,” Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MICHauto and vice president of Automotive and Mobility Initiatives at the Detroit Regional Chamber, said in the release. “The honest assessment of the industry’s strengths and areas of opportunity paired with direct action items will bolster the state’s competitiveness through the industry’s ongoing evolution.”

Susan Corbin, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity director and CFME chair, noted that the plan will create new opportunities for Michigan workers.

“The State is working hard to prepare Michiganders with the skills and talent needed to fill high-demand careers of the future in the mobility sector and beyond,” she said in the release.