Committee action in Lansing today to advance legislation designed to help close the skilled workforce gap in Michigan is drawing the praise of key economic development and educational leaders across the Great Lakes State.
Both Roger Curtis, who serves as Talent and Economic Development Director and Brian Whiston, the State Superintendent, issued a joint statement today on the committee’s work. They are co-leaders of the Michigan Career Pathways Alliance, and they issued the following joint statement today after the House Workforce and Talent Development committee reported out the bipartisan Michigan Career Pathways package – House Bills 5139-5142 and 5145:
“We commend Chairman Frederick and the committee members for their thoughtful and forward-looking action to ensure all students in Michigan have the ability to explore multiple career paths during their secondary education journey and learn about the training needed to land one of the many good jobs available in the state.
“Along with a talent gap, Michigan has a career awareness gap. Students don’t know about all the possibilities that await them after graduation and the training needed to attain the many good jobs available here. We can and must do more to close that gap. These bills begin to do that.
“It’s clear, students and schools alike will benefit greatly from this legislation, and we urge swift action from the full house to ensure we can close the talent gap with expanded resources and tools for schools to help.”
The Michigan Career Pathways package is a multi-level attempt. It:
- Provides students with grade-appropriate instruction on career development in each grade
- Allows individuals to use time spent with local employers or technical centers to count toward the renewal of a teaching certificate
- Allows certified industry experts to teach a CTE course and create an opt-in database of student contact information for students to have the ability to receive career information from a skilled trade employer, proprietary school or professional trade association.
The bills now advance to the full house for further action.
