April 2017
MiMfg Magazine
MMA Testifies in Support of Flexibility
to Enhance Career Tech Education
Manufacturers are looking for the
best and the brightest. Modern manu-
facturing is a high tech, high skill, high
knowledge operation and career tech
programs in PRIME and across
Michigan’s K-12 schools will aid young
people in meeting industry standards.
MMA testified before the House
Workforce and Talent Development
Committee on Tuesday, 3/21/17, in
support of creating greater flexibility in
the Merit curriculum and highlighting
the many career opportunities available
to students if flexible options are
provided in K-12 schools.
“For programs like PRIME to be as
effective as they should be, there needs
to be more flexibility in the Merit
Curriculum,” testified Mike Johnston,
MMA vice president of government
affairs. “The more flexibility, the more
opportunities can be created for
students to map an academic path,
whether it is a four-year degree, or a
high paying, high skill industrial
credential. We should not think about a
two-path rubric, but instead an infinite
combination of paths created through
flexibility in the curriculum.”
The four bills include:
• House Bill 4315 (Representative
Beth Griffin, R-Paw Paw)
• House Bill 4316 (Representative
Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington)
• House Bill 4317 (Representative
Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant)
• House Bill 4318 (Representative
Gary Howell, R-North Branch)
MMA’s Mike Johnston testified
in March to support flexibility
in the Merit curriculum.
The Committee reported out House
Bills 4315 – 4318, legislation to expand
CTE options in the K-12 pipeline, and
the full House passed all four bills on
3/30/17.
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