State to expand vocational training

Industry has become more complex and made traditional shop classes obsolete, Engler said. For students who don't attend college, vocational classes need to be more relevant to industry today, he said.

"Are we really doing the best for these kids that are choosing not to go to college?" Engler asked, citing statistics that only 22 percent of workers have or need a bachelor's degree.

"The old shop class that taught how to weld is not appropriate for the 21st century," Engler said at a news conference before a speech to the Economic Club of Detroit. Students now must learn how to program and repair the robots that will do the welding for them, he said.

AP PHOTO Michigan Governor John M. Engler announces his new initiative to teach high schoolers vocational skills they can put to work as soon as they graduate

The state legislature has already made $10 million available for the project, titled the Career Preparation System, and Engler said that bankroll would continue to grow.

The move comes along with other recent educational initiatives to open charter schools and allow students to choose the schools they want to attend. Engler said the new program would give students more choices, also the goal of the other educational changes.

The model for the new plan is a program already in place in the Wayne-Westland school district. Principal Bill Richardson heads the William D. Ford Career Technical Center, where about 25 high school juniors are taking classes in a partnership between the district, two companies and the United Auto Workers union.

Students in the program spend three hours each day in industrial classes learning applied math, science and communication skills. At the end of the two-year program, students are offered jobs at one of the business partners, Detroit Diesel Corp.

"We're bringing in the principles of manufacturing," Richardson said.

Acknowledging the stigma that has surrounded industrial education programs - which have been criticized for not giving students a well-rounded general education - Richardson said the new programs offer high-tech education that employers say they want from applicants.

Still, the turnaround to change the view of vocational education will not be easy, he said.

"I don't expect any of these programs to take off overnight because of the long stigma of vocational education," Richardson said of Engler's plan.

But the success stories from students have convinced Richardson that the new programs are something worth pursuing.

"We feel like we've had several - that's probably what drives us," he said.

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