Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2024 13 BRIDGING THE GAP They were pursuing something they thought they had to, which impacted their mental health greatly because when they realized college wasn’t a good fit, they thought they had failed,” Strohbeck said. “The industry started to warn us about a gap in workers if we continued this way, so we started changing our message and that everyone has their own niche.” Strohbeck credits an increase in funding for career and technical education classes in high school, as well as partnerships with organizations like SEMCA that help expose all available avenues after graduation. “I’ve watched students light up when they see they can be successful,” Strohbeck said. SEMCA’s 2023 Craft Champion Mario Al-Ton was enrolled in college for a semester before determining it wasn’t the path for him. Ultimately, Al-Ton decided to enroll to become an electrical engineer. His dad and uncle are electricians, and he wanted to take it a step further. “There was this prestige around going to college when you were in high school, so I thought I could forge a path to a career. After one semester I knew this was not what I wanted. I like to work with my hands and just didn’t like being behind a desk in several classes, so I left and found my way to SEMCA,” Al-Ton said. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Trade school and SEMCA weren’t mentioned as an option after high school.” What can we do moving forward? ABC and SEMCA vice president Deanna Morley said that conversations are changing in schools and that there isn’t a “college path only” message spreading throughout high schools. “SEMCA has played an active role in going to the local school districts to share alternate career paths. I think that the schools and communities as a whole have seen the impacts of pushing only college and there’s been a realization this isn’t a sustainable option. Without construction and skilled trade workers, we can’t support growth in other areas,” Morley said.
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