Ivanka Trump talks jobs and education during visit to GM Technical Learning University in Warren

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Ivanka Trump visited Michigan Wednesday and met with GM CEO Mary Barra and toured the Technical Learning University in Warren. 

This visit was not described as a campaign stop but rather an official White House visit. So the focus wasn't to talk of Trump versus Biden but instead, Ivanka Trump talked with FOX 2 in an exclusive interview about jobs, some that don't come with a four-year degree.

"We have the greatest university ecosystem in the world, so we're very proud of that. We invest a lot of that and we celebrate it but it is not the only pathway for Americans and most Americans don't go to college. And certainly, if you're a mid- to late-career worker, whose job is being automated out of existence you're probably not going to go to a two- or four-year college. So this president was really focused on, 'How do we create opportunities for the greatest workers in the world to be afforded a pathway that's viable regardless of their age or background?'" she said.

GM was one of the early singers of the pledge to America's workers. The automaker committed to more than 40,000 career opportunities for students and workers in their plant. It's the reason Ivanka Trump visited.

GM dedicated millions of dollars in this facility to beef up the learning that's happening here. She spent an hour meeting the people behind the dollars. 

Four hundred other companies have signed on to the pledge. She says it's the private sector coupled with raw talent from men and women like Sylvia and Jeff that's the recipe for success in workforce development. 

"While the government can do a lot on this front, we can't do it without the private sector. They know where they're creating jobs, they know the technological advancements that are coming so we really have been beating the drum to try to get employers to step up and invest in the greatest resource this country has, which is the American student and worker."

The GM training facility is about to get an additional boost of $10 million. 

While here, she also talked about parents who are struggling with COVID and schooling from home.

"When you don't have the ability to send your children to school because the schools are closed, you can't work and stay at home. As a parent myself who is in a situation where I am far more fortunate than most in terms of the resources I have, it's still enormously trying," she said. "More than doubled the amount of money we have sent to the states to help families afford childcare, and that's obviously going up during these unique needs. So this is a top priority for the president, this administration; it's something I am personally very passionate about - doubling the child tax credit, as well as tax reform, has meant that 40 million American families have an average of $2,200 in their pockets that they wouldn't have had before. So we have a whole series of policies to address this very real issue."

And the $10 million expansion in the GM facility is expected to be done before November.