Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to ask lawmakers to make community college free for all high school graduates
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to ask lawmakers to make community college free for all high school graduates
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is planning to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would provide free community college tuition for all high school graduates.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to urge state lawmakers to pass legislation that would provide free community college tuition for all high school graduates during her sixth State of the State speech on Wednesday.
Whitmer also prioritized community college access in her annual address last year. State lawmakers responded by temporarily lowering the minimum age for free tuition from 25 to 21 years old. The Democratic governor now wants to expand the program by removing all age requirements for free community college, according to details of her plan provided to The Associated Press by Whitmer’s office.
Whitmer’s administration created the Michigan Reconnect program in 2021, aiming to increase the percentage of the state’s workforce with a postsecondary degree or training from 50.5% to 60% by 2030. It made Michigan residents 25 years and older eligible for free community college tuition.
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It's a step in the right direction but won't help if employers are only hiring senior roles or upping the requirements for entry level positions as they did in the past.
That's an oddly specific whataboutism. Your premise is bullshit. More education, especially in trades which CC specialize in, is a huge benefit that improves employment outcomes. A better educated workforce also attracts employers. The classic econometrics formula (actually documented in textbooks written by Dr. Jeffrey Woolrich at MSU) is literally: Salary = Education + Ability. Education has a clear positive impact, ability is much harder to measure
In fact it could upskill nearly half the state: https://www.statista.com/statistics/588922/educational-attainment-michigan/#:~:text=Educational attainment in Michigan 2021&text=In 2021%2C about 19.2 percent,their highest level of education.