Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth on Tuesday morning addressed a crowd at a Business Council of Alabama (BCA) governmental affairs committee meeting in downtown Montgomery.

During remarks spanning approximately 15 minutes, Ainsworth gave a comprehensive update on the major issues before the legislature and the top priorities his office has been working on.

The meeting came the day after his 21st Century Workforce Commission released its report, and Ainsworth in his speech explained why this issue is such a core focus for him.

“[T]he reason I picked workforce is simple — when I talked to business owners all over the state, no matter where they were from, over and over again I heard — and this is a good thing for Alabama — but I heard over and over again the number one limiting factor to growth is people. ‘Will, if you could help us get more people trained, we can grow our business,’” Ainsworth said. “Think about that, it wasn’t tax situation, it wasn’t the business climate, it wasn’t even necessarily opportunity. … So that’s why we set out to look at workforce development.”

Speaking on the commission findings, he continued, “To my knowledge, this is one of the most in-depth — we had several groups that helped on this …”

Ainsworth subsequently highlighted key points and recommendations in the report.

Watch, starting at around the 7:20 mark:

Ainsworth also reiterated his commitment to making Alabama the most military-friendly state in the nation. The lieutenant governor then talked about the importance of the aerospace and defense sector to the state’s 21st-century economy.

“Our niche on that, and the fact that we’re known for that, we’ve got to continue to make sure we grow that industry,” he said. “That’s why STEM’s going to be really important for our students. … It’s so awesome that Alabama’s the center of the world on that.”

“I think Alabama’s going to continue to blossom and do well,” Ainsworth added.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn