Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mobile 'Trades of Today and Tomorrow' trailer aims to recruit students into green trades
Summary
The Michigan AFL‑CIO Workforce Development Institute presented a mobile trailer program to expose grades 5–12 to green trades, apprenticeship pathways and STEAM activities; the program aims to launch in 2026 and use a mixed fee/sponsorship model to reach underserved communities.
Mary Liz Estrada, a new council member and climate-and-energy jobs liaison at the Michigan AFL‑CIO Workforce Development Institute, presented the 'Trades of Today and Tomorrow' mobile trailer and related apprenticeship-readiness trailer planned for statewide outreach.
Estrada said the primary audience is fifth through 12th graders in underrepresented communities and described interactive exhibits — including VR wind‑turbine demos, a water‑infrastructure display, hands‑on operating‑engineer simulations and building‑materials exhibits — to introduce students to construction, renewables, battery/EV manufacturing and water‑infrastructure careers. "We hope to target fifth through twelfth graders, in underrepresented communities," Estrada said.
Estrada outlined a STEAM curriculum catalog to align classroom activities with trade careers, a mural-wrap design competition with scholarship prizes ($2,500 and $5,000) and a fee‑for‑service model that will be supplemented by sponsorships and grants so rural and low‑income schools can still participate. She said the program ran a STEAM camp earlier this year and plans a full launch and demos in 2026.
Council members praised the approach as place‑based outreach. Jim Harrison, a council member with energy‑industry experience, said hands‑on exposure and teacher curriculum are critical because many employers report difficulty hiring: "Outreach is incredibly place based — outreach is incredibly helpful," Harrison said.
Estrada asked council members for contacts and sponsors to expand the trailer’s reach and said organizers plan regionally tailored schedules to avoid winter months in the Upper Peninsula. The council did not take formal action; staff flagged opportunities to coordinate with state workforce initiatives.
