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MiMfg Magazine
July 2019
Building a 21st Century Manufacturing Workforce
Talent is a top priority for manufacturers and is
a common thread connecting all manufacturers.
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a family-
owned manufacturer; located in Detroit, Grand
Rapids or up north, you need world-class talent.
To help develop a stronger pool of manufacturing
talent, MMA is driving legislation that will support
the creation and growth of Career and Technical
Education (CTE) programs by allowing for more
flexibility in the Michigan Merit Curriculum.
“This legislation builds on advances made in
2014 and 2018 toward our goals of more robust
career exploration options throughout K-12
education and a curriculum that allows students
to develop in-demand skills that can carry them
into the workforce,” said Delaney McKinley, senior
director of government affairs and membership.
House Bills 4269 and 4270 (Representative Beth
Griffin, R-Paw Paw) would combine the current
2-credit foreign language requirement and the
1-credit art requirement into a new 21 st Century
Skills requirement that will provide students and
families the choice to invest in subject areas that are
relevant to their career path, including the skilled
trades and computer science or computer coding.
House Bill 4282 (Representative Roger Hauck,
R-Mt. Pleasant) would allow a student enrolled in a
Career and Technical Education (CTE) program to
substitute a 30-hour OSHA training course for the
required half-credit in physical education.
“Manufacturers, small and large, are dedicated to
policies that develop a strong and diverse talent system
and provide learning opportunities with employer
engagement to prepare students to succeed,” said
McKinley. “It is imperative that our education system
allow students to carve a path that leads them to be
career-ready and trained for the jobs of tomorrow.”
In 2014, MMA was instrumental in the passage
of bills that created up to eight and a half additional
hours of flexibility to free up time in a student’s
schedule to participate in CTE programs. The hard-
fought legislation also promoted applied learning
through experiential and hands-on educational methods
and supported active collaborative relationships
between education and local employers.
In 2018, MMA-supported legislation was passed
into law requiring schools to incorporate age-appropriate
career exploration and engagement with local
business from kindergarten through graduation and
ensuring that middle and high school students
engage in robust and meaningful career planning.
“This legislation continues MMA’s work in our
State Capitol and in communities across the state to
increase student awareness of and preparation for the
many rewarding and lucrative career opportunities in
Michigan’s manufacturing sector,” said McKinley.
The legislation has passed the House Education
Committee and is currently pending before the House
Ways & Means Committee. While legislative session
has adjourned for the summer, MMA continues its
work to build support for the bills. MMA members
are urged to contact their legislators and encourage
their support for House Bills 4269-4271 and 4282.
For more information on this legislation and
MMA’s broader efforts to build a world-class talent
pipeline, contact MMA’s Delaney McKinley at
517-487-8530 or [email protected].
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Your Support is Critical
Contributing to the MMA-PAC is an
investment in Michigan’s future and
one of the most affordable and effective
ways to support pro-manufacturing
legislators and candidates.
Donate at mimfg.org or contact Brianna
Mills at 517-487-8523 or [email protected].
“ Our ability to support pro-manufacturing candidates
is imperative as anti-manufacturing voices are
working strategically against our industry. ”
— Patrick Curry, MMA-PAC Chair and President of Fullerton Tool
MMA-PAC can accept personal contributions or contributions from sole-proprietorships, partnerships or limited liability companies (LLCs). State Law prohibits acceptance of corporate checks.