You are the map. Here is yours.

Five things to tell every family

1. Free virtual courses are two per academic term (semester or trimester), starting in grade 6, not two total. Most families have never heard of Section 21f.
2. Dual enrollment starts in grade 9 with a qualifying PSAT 8/9 score, and the district pays.
3. Early Middle College needs a decision by grade 10. Students must be coded as EMC by the fall of junior year.
4. CTE can replace Algebra II, one world language credit and the third science credit. Parents worried about college admissions need to hear this.
5. File the FAFSA senior year, no matter what. It unlocks the free Community College Guarantee and the $5,500 Achievement Scholarship, and graduates have only 15 months to use them.

Each one is explained in plain English on the students and parents page. Send families there.

School counselors and mentors

• EDP requirement: every student must have the chance to build an Educational Development Plan in grade 7 and review it every year through grade 12. MDE EDP page and the EDP Fundamentals Guide.
• Michigan Career Development Model: updated December 2024. It now uses Career Zones, 17 Career Clusters and 79 Career Pathways, replacing the old six Michigan Career Pathways. Update your posters. MDE model page.
• The work-readiness test changed: since spring 2026, the Michigan Merit Exam uses WIN Work Readiness instead of ACT WorkKeys. Students earn a National Work Readiness Credential at their lowest level (Level 2 or higher). MDE WIN FAQ.
• Find programs for a student: CTE Programs Offered (search by ISD), the EMC locations map and Pathfinder for wages and openings.
• Associations: Michigan School Counselor Association and the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN). October is Michigan College Month, with application fee waivers.
• Growing future teachers: Future Proud Michigan Educator covers grants for grades 6-12 exploration, grow-your-own programs and teacher apprenticeships. The MI Future Educator Fellowship pays $10,000 a year to college juniors and seniors in teacher prep, plus $9,600 per student-teaching semester. Talent Together pays tuition for paraprofessionals and career changers becoming teachers.

From the trades to the classroom

Michigan needs welders, electricians, nurses and mechanics to teach. You do not need a teaching degree to start. There are three legal routes into a state-approved CTE classroom:

Counting your hours: a current license or certification (journeyman card, RN, ASE, AWS, cosmetology, FAA and more) can count for up to all 4,000 hours. Military experience counts. Since June 2025 districts must document hours on MDE's own form.

Sources: MDE, CTE teacher certification · MDE, Annual Career Authorization · MDE, Recent and Relevant Experience guidance (June 2025) · MCL 380.1233b

CTE instructors and administrators: the rules that matter

• State-approved means four components: classroom instruction, lab, work-based learning and student leadership (a career and technical student organization), aligned to a federal CIP code and OCTE standards.
• Advisory committee: every program needs one, with a majority from related business and industry, meeting at least twice a year.
• CIP Self-Review every year for every program with enrollment.
• CEPDs: Michigan has 53 Career Education Planning Districts. Each has a CEPD administrator who links MDE to local programs, runs the needs assessment and decides which programs get regional funding. Find yours on the CEPD map.
• Perkins V: MDE runs secondary, LEO runs postsecondary. The Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment is updated every two years.
• Funding: how 61a, 61b and millages work is on the money page.

Key documents: CTE Administrator Manual 2025-26 · CTE instructional resources and standards · CTE data and reports · Perkins V

Work-based learning coordinators

• Students must finish at least half the CTE program and pass safety training before placement.
• Placements must be supervised by a teacher or coordinator with a CTE endorsement. Plan about 40 minutes per student per week and a site visit at least every 9 weeks.
• Verify the employer's workers' comp and liability coverage and write it on the training agreement. Unpaid placements still need liability coverage.
• 16 and 17 year olds in state-approved CTE or registered apprenticeships can do some hazardous tasks under a written training agreement.

Sources: MDE, Work-Based Learning · CTE Administrator Manual, Section 5 · LEO, YESA

Community college faculty, coaches and advisors

• Advising for the Community College Guarantee: class of 2023+ graduates get free in-district tuition for up to 3 years, but only if they file the FAFSA, enroll full time and start within 15 months of graduation. Dropping below full time affects eligibility. Out-of-district students get a discount only.
• Reconnect students are now 21+. The FY2027 budget lowered the age from 25. Expect more 21 to 24 year olds this year.
• Workforce Pell can fund 8 to 14 week programs on Michigan Training Connect once approved. The next state window for colleges is January 15 to February 12, 2027.
• Apprenticeship credit: building trades completers can transfer credit to 22 participating colleges under the College Credit for Apprenticeships initiative.
• Faculty qualifications: the Higher Learning Commission's revised rules (effective September 2025) allow "equivalent experience" for occupational instructors, which is the key route for hiring from the trades. HLC faculty guidelines.
• Association: Michigan Community College Association.

Michigan Works! and job center staff

• Eligible training providers: Michigan Training Connect (MiTC) is the state's official list for Individual Training Accounts.
• Labor market data has moved. The state's LMI office is now the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics (MCDA). The current Hot 50 list projects through 2034.
• Status check for clients: WOTC lapsed December 31, 2025 (still file and hold). Trade Adjustment Assistance is not taking new cases. Reconnect Short-Term Training Grants and the Reconnect Skills Scholarship are no longer open, so don't promise them.
• Pre-apprenticeship referrals: the MARC database.
• Association: Michigan Works! Association.

Mark your calendar