Michigan’s latest round of career and technical education awards will be distributed over a three-year period.
The money comes from Michigan's latest round of Career and Technical Education Expansion Grants, as reported by The Oakland Press. The Michigan Department of Education awarded an additional $44.7 million to 80 school districts statewide to expand CTE offerings, a sum that brings total funding under the program to $68.5 million once first-round awards from April are included. Statewide, the grants are expected to support 229 new CTE programs across 117 school districts, including 57 middle schools.
How the Grants Will Expand CTE
The grants are intended to expand career and technical education offerings and increase student access to these programs.
These additions fit a broader pattern the state has described: competitive grants aimed at increasing access to state-approved CTE programs for students in communities with limited options or documented gaps. Statewide CTE offerings include areas such as advanced manufacturing, construction and digital technology.
State Superintendent Ties Grants to Workforce Needs
State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko linked the grants to efforts to expand access to CTE, the outlet reported. That framing lines up with labor-market projections tracked outside the Oakland County announcement: the Bridge Michigan found the state is projected to see 45,000 new job openings annually through the end of the decade, with professional trades expected to account for more than 520,000 jobs by 2030.
Demand for skilled workers is colliding with an aging labor force. As of June 2025, about 36% of Michigan's labor force was over age 55, Bridge Michigan reported, underscoring why state officials keep pointing to career-tech education as a pipeline for replacing retiring workers. That age profile underscores the scale of Michigan's aging labor force.
Participation Is Rising, But Gaps Remain
More than 114,000 Michigan students participated in CTE programs during the last academic year, and a record 55,431 students completed a CTE program in the 2024-25 school year — up from 52,625 the year before and more than double the figure from a decade earlier, according to Bridge Michigan's reporting.
Access to CTE remains a focus of state efforts. The Michigan Department of Education is working to identify districts that need better access to CTE programs.
Other Districts Sharing in the Push
Oakland County isn't alone in receiving fresh career-tech dollars this year. Fourteen Upper Peninsula school districts are set to share a combined $4 million in state funding, according to Upper Michigan's Source, which reported the money will support 17 CTE programs. Most of that funding is earmarked for the Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All initiative, which will give students in grades six through eight hands-on experience in learning labs across multiple schools.
Oakland County isn't alone in receiving fresh career-tech dollars this year. Fourteen Upper Peninsula school districts are set to share a combined $4 million in state funding, according to Upper Michigan's Source, which reported the money will support 17 CTE programs. Most of that funding is earmarked for the Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All initiative, which will give students in grades six through eight hands-on experience in learning labs across multiple schools. Michigan's current state budget also includes $41.7 million for districts to reimburse career-tech operating costs and $70 million to expand programs specifically in underserved areas, Bridge Michigan reported. The latest round of awards is intended to expand career-tech offerings statewide.
