Educated Workforce
MCAN works with cross-sector partners to develop educational pathways and improve Michigan’s talent pipeline, boosting students’ career success and strengthening our economy.
The items listed below are initiatives, grants, and other resources related to our educated workforce efforts. The colored bar indicates the department at MCAN that oversees that item. To learn more about MCAN’s work in this area, please see our Strategy for Educated Workforce.
Initiatives
Roadmap to Opportunity
Roadmap to Opportunity highlights in-demand, high-wage careers in Michigan through videos, printed collateral, and professional development for school counselors, college advisers, and other practitioners working directly with students.
Your Future Matters: College and Career Planning Course
With the help of internal and external certified educators and support from the Michigan State University College of Education, MCAN has developed a College Planning Course for students.
Local College Access Networks
LCANs are community-based college access alliances supported by a team of community and education leaders representing K-12, higher education, the nonprofit sector, government, business, and philanthropy.
Advocacy and Alignment
Educated Workforce Advisory Board
The Educated Workforce Advisory Board is a new coalition with the ultimate purpose of elevating existing collaborations and building systemic connections among K-12, higher education, and the workforce system in support of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal.
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable (MIHEART) is an ongoing, cross-sector collaborative that seeks to promote, advocate for, and guide policy changes that will raise postsecondary attainment levels and improve Michigan’s talent pipeline.
Grants
Innovative Program Grants
Innovative Program Grants are designed to support innovative, data-informed programs and projects that increase college readiness, enrollment, and completion in communities across the state.
Resources
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW)
Reports and data developed by Georgetown University Center, focusing on education and the workforce.
ALICE Report from the United Way
Standing for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - ALICE represents those in our communities who are working yet still struggling to make ends meet. The ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of need in Michigan to date.
College Affordability in Michigan (NCAN Snapshot)
This is a state of Michigan profile outlining key college affordability measures in Michigan. It incorporate state-specific data on the Pell Grant, FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and degree attainment.
MCAN Departmental Strategy Guides
Downloadable guides developed by MCAN's programmatic departments outlining our strategies for 2025-2027.
Stronger Nation: A Lumina Foundation Reporting Tool
Lumina Foundation tracks the post-high school educational attainment of Americans ages 25-64. Since 2008, that figure has increased by 10 percentage points in Michigan.
The Journal of College Access
A peer-reviewed, academic, open access, online journal with a focus on how students aspire to, gain access to, enroll in and persist in higher education institutions. The Journal is published periodically.
Press Releases
MCAN awards $30,000 in Educated Workforce Pathway Planning Grants
Six organizations awarded funding to strengthen and improve college-going culture through articulated, transferable and stackable credits in higher education
MCAN applauds continued commitment to education in fiscal year 2027 state budget
Earlier today, the Michigan legislature passed its fiscal year 2027 budget bills, which the governor is expected to sign. Michigan College Access Network is excited to see increased funding for K-12 and higher education, continuing vital investments in our students.
MCAN celebrates wins for students in legislative budget bills
As Michigan lawmakers unveil competing state budget bills, early plans signal meaningful investments in students and families, while also raising important questions about long-term funding stability for higher education and college access.
Blogs
Skilled and Educated: How David Urlaub is Connecting Career Preparation with Lifelong Learning
For 20 years, David Urlaub has helped students at the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center imagine what life after high school could look like. As a student counselor and the center’s lead SkillsUSA adviser, Urlaub works closely with 11th- and 12th-grade students as they explore careers, build technical skills, and consider the education they’ll need to reach their goals. His work is rooted in a simple belief: students shouldn’t have to choose between becoming skilled and becoming educated.
15 Years Forward: When Policy Meets Purpose | Michele Strasz
As director of the Capital Area College Access Network (CapCAN) and a leader at United Way South Central Michigan, Michele has spent her career at the intersection of community impact and public policy. As we reflect on 15 years of postsecondary progress through the lens of policy, Michele's story is exactly the one we want to tell.