A skilled workforce drives prosperity and attracts innovative companies. Investing in Michigan’s education pipeline from K-12 to higher education is vital for supporting high-wage industries that boost GDP and family and community success. A top-tier education system also attracts families and helps reverse population decline. By providing pathways to high-value credentials for all, Michigan can increase per capita income and prosperity and create a more resilient workforce and economy.
Policy Priorities
- Leverage the Chamber’s effort to achieve a 60% post-high school educational attainment rate for Michigan’s adult population by 2030 as an official State policy.
- Establish greater statewide employer and public policy support for a “K-12 + 2” education ethos that creates the expectation that all Michiganders will pursue at least two years of formal education or value-added training after high school.
- Create financial incentives for employers, stakeholders, and educational institutions to offer wrap-around services to promote college enrollment and completion.
- Continue to work with Launch Michigan and other organizations to support fundamental K-12 education reforms to ensure better outcomes across all Michigan communities.
- Support a comprehensive strategy focused on international talent that recognizes immigrants’ role in addressing educational attainment gaps and helps Michigan create a more competitive workforce.
2026 Legislative Goals
- Increase funding and access for Career and Technical Education and STEM programs.
- Expand access to college credits in high school through dual enrollment, early college, and advanced placement (AP) classes.
- Support the Michigan Education Guarantee, a standardization of a meaningful high school diploma for every Michigander, championed by Launch Michigan.
- Focus resources on increasing third-grade reading levels.
- Fully fund the Michigan Achievement Scholarship – a successful key Chamber priority – and continue to support Michigan Reconnect, including lowering the
age to qualify for this post-high school degree completion program. - Increase funding for the Going PRO Talent Fund and create an employer tax credit for upskilling and training workers.
- Supporting legislation that focuses on increasing the number of licensed nurses graduating from Michigan programs.
- Support the expansion of the H1B visa program.
“We need to communicate the importance and the correlation between higher education and individual prosperity, and we have to make that direct correlation clear to people so that there is simply no question about it.”
– Ora Hirsh Pescovitz, President, Oakland University; Co-Chair, Detroit Drives Degrees Leadership Council, Detroit Regional Chamber