LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Ruth Johnson is applauding three Oakland County school districts that are part of a talent consortium recently awarded a Marshall Plan for Talent grant to improve the state’s talent development and education system.
“We need to encourage more of our students to look at high-demand careers and ensure they have the necessary skills to be successful,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “The Marshall Plan for Talent was designed to encourage education and business collaborations to achieve those goals. I applaud these area schools and their community partners for earning this competitive grant, which will help them provide students with new approaches to learning and access to invaluable career opportunities.”
The Brandon School District, Clarkston Community Schools and Holly Area Schools are partners in the CBH Consortium Construction Technology Program, which was awarded $713,018 in the latest round of Marshall Plan for Talent Innovation Grants announced by the Michigan Talent and Economic Development Department and Department of Education.
The consortium will serve 13,146 students and features 16 area business, postsecondary and community partners. Local masonry, electrical and home construction companies are examples of the types of business partners in the consortium.
Statewide, nearly $14 million in grants were awarded. Of that amount, $6.89 million will go to purchasing state-of-the-art equipment students can use to learn with hands-on techniques, and $6.14 million will help develop curricula for each consortium. The remaining funds will go toward evolving some districts to a competency-based education model and hiring career navigators who will help students explore career options and pathways while providing needed support to overwhelmed school counselors.
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