Peters Provisions Narrowing Skills Gap to be Signed into Law

OWOSSO, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today applauded Congressional passage of legislation that includes provisions based off bipartisan legislation he introduced to expand opportunities for students in career and technical education (CTE). Peters worked to get provisions into the bill that will improve school counselor training in and awareness of CTE. Peters highlighted the provisions today at the Auto/Diesel Institute of Michigan (ADI) at Baker College in Owosso. The provisions, included in a larger CTE bill, passed both the House of Representatives and Senate this week and is set to be signed into law by the President.

“Career and technical education programs like the Auto/Diesel Institute provide Michiganders an affordable pathway to a good-paying job and Michigan businesses the skilled workers they need to grow,” said Senator Peters. “I’m pleased Congress took bipartisan action to strengthen CTE programs across the country, including language I worked on to increase awareness of CTE and help provide more high school students opportunities outside of a four-year degree."

“ADI offers educational opportunities and hands-on experience so students can develop the necessary skills to obtain good-paying specialized jobs right here in Michigan,” said Aaron Maike, President, Baker College of Muskegon. “We appreciate Senator Peters shining a light on career and technical education as an avenue to high-demand career pathways and supporting CTE programs at Baker College and across the state.” 

According to the Joint Economic Committee, there are more than 44 million middle-skill jobs – or careers that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year college degree – in the United States. More than one in three of the top 30 fastest growing occupations are considered middle-skilled occupations. In Michigan, 36% of jobs are middle-skill, with the average middle-skill salary at over $44,000 and projected job growth at 7%.

However, many school counselors are not currently trained to advise students on postsecondary programs outside of the traditional four-year college pathway that could lead to good-paying jobs and minimize debt. Additionally, counselors often lack high-quality options for training in CTE counseling.

Peters’ provisions set to be signed into law would provide grant opportunities for counselor training programs to identify and develop evidence-based strategies for strengthening CTE counseling training programs. CTE programming as a whole is based on needs assessments at the state and local levels to identify in-demand sectors and occupations.

ADI, which is a division of Baker College, provides skills trainings and career and technical education (CTE) in welding, auto services, diesel service technology and more for students with a wide variety of backgrounds. ADI is one of two colleges in Michigan to have master accreditation from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation for diesel service.

###