Career Aware & Prepare
Policy 1.0

Building Michigan’s Future Workforce—One Day at a Time

Policy

waves

The Career Aware & Prepare Policy 1.0 is a strategic investment in Michigan’s future workforce. By fostering early career awareness, we are building a more informed, skilled, and prepared generation of professionals. We invite educators, policymakers, industry leaders, and community stakeholders to support this initiative and contribute to shaping the future of Michigan’s workforce.

Our proposal advocates amending MCL Section 380.1166a, the Brian Whiston career pathways law. The amendment would require students in grades 5-12 to be exposed to at least one real-world job daily, which would count toward required school attendance. This change would take effect in the 2025-2026 school year and aims to foster early career awareness and long-term workforce preparedness.

Objectives

Based on our research and experience in K-12 initiatives, we strongly recommend adhering to these objectives when implementing this initiative.

  • First One

    Seamless Integration

    The daily career exposure exercise will take no more than 5 minutes, ensuring no disruption to instructional time.

  • third gym training

    No Additional Taxpayer Expense

    The policy will be structured to operate without increasing tax rates or imposing financial burdens on the state.

  • training fifth

    Efficient Reporting

    Schools and districts will be responsible for daily participation tracking, with reports submitted to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for transparency.

  • fourth muscle

    No Additional Burden on Educators

    The initiative requires no extra lesson planning, grading, or administrative workload for teachers.

Outcomes

If implemented successfully, this policy will achieve the following benefits for students.

first-outcome

Cultivating a Career-Oriented Mindset

Introducing students to various industries from an early age helps build a culture of career awareness and professional ambition.

second-outcome

Enhancing Educational Relevance

Connecting school subjects to real-world applications increases student engagement and motivation.

third-outcome

Expanding Career Horizons

Providing early exposure to diverse professions ensures that students are aware of a broad range of career paths and industries before making future academic and professional decisions.

fourth-outcome

Strengthening Michigan’s Talent Pipeline

By equipping students with career insights early, we are fostering a skilled and workforce-ready generation, aligned with the needs of Michigan’s industries.

Readiness

To ensure readiness, a digital platform developed by Mavin Global, with input and collaboration from 42 North Partners, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, Talent First, and Michigan State University K12 Outreach, will ensure compliance with CAPP 1.0, as outlined above.
Here's how it works.

workflow-chart
voila-logo

Voila

A simple and efficient way to showcase career opportunities and engage with future talent.

voila-logo

Skills2Business

Access to an intuitive, ready-to-use system that seamlessly integrates into the daily curriculum.