LANSING, Mich. (WOWO) — Michigan is putting a growing emphasis on career and technical education as schools, employers and state officials look for ways to prepare students for the workforce.
But the push is also fueling a debate over what students should be told about life after high school — particularly whether career training should be viewed as an alternative to college or as one part of a broader education pathway.
Nearly 115,000 Michigan students participated in career and technical education during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
Career and technical education encompasses far more than traditional shop classes. Programs include health care, information technology, business, agriculture, public safety, manufacturing, construction and other fields. Traditional skilled trades such as plumbing, welding and heating and cooling are also part of the system.
Brian Pyles, executive director of the Michigan Association for Career and Technical Education and a former state director of career and technical education, said the state’s programs have evolved significantly.
“If you call it a shop class, that’s just going to resonate and pull people’s thoughts backwards to what they experienced as a shop class — not our high-tech programming and clean facilities,” Pyles told Bridge Michigan.
The growing attention to career education comes as Michigan schools face pressure to improve academic performance while also preparing students for jobs in a changing economy.
In Genesee County, students begin developing career exploration plans as early as seventh grade. Elsewhere in Michigan, students are attending trade schools while working construction jobs during the day.
Career education is also increasingly part of the political conversation.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently promoted skilled trades during an appearance at a Michigan trade school, describing what she called a “cultural reset for education.”
Republican candidates in Michigan have also highlighted career training. U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for a shop class in every high school, while Republican congressional candidate Mike Bouchard Jr. has described skilled trades as “AI-proof.”
But the renewed focus on career education has not settled the longstanding question of how much education students need to achieve financial stability.
Lou Glazer, president of Michigan Future, told Bridge Michigan that most well-paying jobs still require a four-year degree.
Glazer also questioned whether families who strongly advocate for career and technical education always choose the same path for their own children.
“I find that most folks who are pushing a CTE agenda are doing the exact opposite with their own kids,” Glazer said.
He said the earning potential varies considerably depending on the particular career-training program.
“I think by and large, the answer is yes, but it really depends on the program,” Glazer said when asked whether emphasizing career training could lead to lower wages.
The data show why the issue is complicated.
Michigan’s list of high-demand, high-paying occupations expected to be in demand through 2034 includes both careers requiring bachelor’s degrees and careers that can be entered through apprenticeships or other forms of training.
According to the state’s Center for Data and Analytics, roughly two-thirds of the 67,000 projected openings in the state’s “hot” occupations call for a bachelor’s degree or higher.
But some careers that do not require a four-year degree can still offer significant wages.
Electricians and plumbers, for example, generally enter their fields through apprenticeships. State projections put potential pay for those careers at about $45 an hour, or roughly $93,600 annually.
Electrical power-line installers and repairers can potentially earn about $124,800 per year after long-term on-the-job training, although the state expects relatively few openings in that field.
Other jobs requiring less formal education have lower earning potential. Construction laborers and heavy-truck drivers are among the lower-paid occupations on the state’s high-demand list that do not require college, with potential annual pay of about $62,400.
Experts say those differences demonstrate why students need specific information about individual careers rather than broad messages about whether college is necessary.
Shaun Dougherty, a Boston College professor who studies career and technical education, said outcomes vary depending on the type of program.
Students in skilled-trades programs are often less likely to attend college because they can enter the workforce directly, Dougherty told Bridge Michigan.
Other CTE programs, particularly those tied to health care, education and applied engineering, can actually encourage students to continue their education, including at two-year colleges.
Dougherty said Michigan is among the states doing career and technical education particularly well, but he cautioned that it is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Students tend to benefit most when career courses are combined with multiple classes in a specific field, work-based learning, partnerships with other educational institutions and instructors who have firsthand industry experience.
Michigan allows people with professional experience in a career field to teach in classrooms without a traditional teaching certificate through state-issued career authorizations. About 1,400 such authorizations were granted during the 2024-25 school year.
Career education also does not necessarily mean giving up college.
Many Michigan CTE programs have agreements with community colleges that allow students to earn college credit while completing career training.
Community colleges are also working with labor unions on apprenticeship programs that can count toward college credentials.
Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, told Bridge Michigan that the goal should be to break down the traditional divide between college and the trades.
“The point of it really is to do away with this notion that you can either go into a trade or go to college,” Johnson said. “That is the silliest dichotomy and not a thing in 2026.”
The state is also pursuing a broader goal of having 60% of working-age adults hold a college degree or recognized skills certificate by 2030.
That approach reflects the growing recognition that career training and higher education can overlap.
A student entering a construction apprenticeship, for example, can potentially earn college credit while gaining experience in the field. A student starting in a health care CTE program may use that training as a first step toward additional education.
But access remains uneven.
Students can find career programs through their local school districts, intermediate school districts, career centers, trade organizations and colleges. The availability of particular programs varies from one community to another.
Diana Allard, executive director of career and technical education at Genesee Intermediate School District, said students need to understand that some form of training beyond high school is increasingly important.
“You need some skills and some evidence of that skill,” Allard said.
She said Michigan could do more to encourage students to begin that training while they are still in high school.
The state is putting money toward dual-enrollment programs that allow students to take courses that count toward both high school and college requirements, but Allard said graduation requirements can still make it difficult for districts to build flexible pathways.
The renewed emphasis on career education comes as Michigan also confronts concerns about student achievement.
Only about one-fourth of Michigan high school juniors are considered college-ready based on SAT performance, while state officials and education advocates have raised concerns about declining literacy performance among younger students.
At the same time, preliminary data show about 55% of Michigan’s high school class of 2025 enrolled in college within six months of graduation.
That means a significant share of students are not immediately entering four-year colleges, making career exploration and workforce preparation increasingly important parts of the education conversation.
Career and technical education advocates say that does not mean students should be steered away from college.
Instead, they argue students should be given earlier and better information about the full range of options available after high school.
Pyles said modern skilled-trades workers often need substantial technical knowledge and problem-solving skills.
“For elected officials to continue to talk about skilled trades professionals not needing a college education, I think that they are minimizing the rigor and intellect that an individual needs in today’s skilled trades environment to be successful,” Pyles said.
Keith Ledbetter, president and CEO of the Southeast Construction Academy, said students entering trade programs sometimes arrive believing they have failed academically.
“I get frustrated because the young people who walk in the door of our trade school feel like they’ve been a failure. High schools have labeled them a failure,” Ledbetter said.
“It’s OK that people are differently skilled. Someone who is mechanically inclined, it doesn’t mean that they’re dumb. It means that they’re gifted at something other than what these other people are gifted at.”
For Michigan schools, the challenge now is expanding career opportunities without creating another false choice between college and the trades.
Education leaders increasingly argue that students should have access to both — with career exploration beginning earlier, more opportunities for hands-on learning and stronger connections among high schools, employers, trade programs, community colleges and universities.
The goal, they say, is not to determine whether every student should attend college or enter a trade.
It is to make sure students leave high school with the skills, credentials and experience needed to take their next step — whatever that step may be.
