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Michigan steps up work to persuade young men to go to college, get skills training

Young men meet with representatives presenting training and college options at Ford Field as part of Michigan effort to attract young men into postsecondary education, where their numbers are dropping. Photo credit: Brayan Gutierrez for Bridge Michigan.

by Kim Kozlowski, Bridge Michigan 

Christopher Johnson recently got on a bus with some of his friends from Bendle High School in Burton, near Flint, and went to Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.

But he wasn’t there to watch football. Johnson joined 1,000 other young men from dozens of Michigan schools in a first-of-its-kind career fair organized by the state, where he heard speeches from men who earned a college credential and attended sessions on unusual and in-demand fields such as carpentry.

He had the opportunity to talk with representatives from dozens of community colleges, universities, trade schools and businesses — all part of Michigan effort to attract young men into postsecondary education, where their numbers are dropping.

But at the end of the day, Johnson said he was sticking with his plan to work in his father pallet business after he graduates in June.

“Going to college means I’m more in debt,” said Johnson, 18. “It just a waste of time, really. I don’t really need a degree for the jobs I want to do when I get out of high school. You just need a GED or a high school diploma.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed last year to step up efforts to persuade young men to continue their education, expressing concern for their earnings and well-being, and as the state works to reach its goal of 60% of residents with a postsecondary credential by 2030. Rankings show Michigan ranked third-worst among states for male college students between 2011 and 2021.

Exactly how much Michigan has invested so far in its efforts is not immediately available, state officials said. The gap between men and women seeking a credential is a national problem that has been widening and is worse in Michigan: with only 48% of males enrolled in college or trade schools six months after high school in 2025, compared to 61% for women.

Nationwide, women were underrepresented in higher education 50 years ago compared to men. But women are now enrolling at higher rates, 66%, versus 57% of men, .

Though college enrollment has been declining overall, advocates have been sounding the alarm, calling it an epidemic that men are missing in education and training. Exactly what these young men are doing is not clear, experts say, but they are likely living with their parents or friends and either not working or earning a small income in low wage jobs.

But their absence from post secondary education has led to a host of issues for men, including their lack of participation in the workforce, role in the family and mental health.

Michigan is among a few states that have made reaching young men a policy issue to address: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer first spoke of her concerns about getting more men into college and skills training programs during her 2025 State of the State address. She then and expand awareness of opportunities.

That includes the millions of dollars the state has invested in recent years to defray tuition costs in programs such as the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, Community College Guarantee and Michigan Reconnect, where female recipients outnumber males 2:1. In 2024-25 alone, the state invested more than $558 million in financial aid for college students.

Since Whitmer directive, the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP) has worked to connect young men with career options in campaigns on sports radio and social media and in numerous partnerships such as athletic departments at University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

Also, MiLEAP recently convened 10 statewide male focus groups and state leaders to strategies to engage and retain young men in partnership with the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO).

It too soon to measure impact, said MiLEAP spokesperson Aundreana Jones-Poole, but “these efforts are building momentum and strengthening alignment between education and workforce systems to improve access, persistence, and attainment among boys and young men.”

‘Economic imperative’

Michigan work is an “economic imperative” because of the need for skilled workers to drive the state economy but also for individual prosperity, independence, stability and security, said Jason Wilson, deputy director of strategic talent preparation at MiLEAP.

“When we don’t have all Michiganders upskilling themselves, particularly our young people,” Wilson said, “it becomes a threat to our economy and way of life.”

Michigan has been losing men in higher education for decades but its cumulative loss reached a high in 2021, said Colby Spencer Cesaro, vice president of Michigan Independent Colleges & Universities.

As a member of the , which analyzes the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education System for policy development, Cesaro examined Michigan 12-month data on undergraduate male college enrollment and compared it to other states and found 335,567 men enrolled in community colleges, public universities and independent nonprofit schools in 2011.

A decade later, Michigan male enrollment dropped to 219,987, a 34% plunge of 115,580 young men, ranking Michigan #3 for total loss of young men enrolled in college, behind California, which lost 187,000 men and Illinois, which lost 157,000 men.

Said Cesaro: “This is a big deal because Michigan is not among the largest states.”

What other states are doing

Among the few states that have attempted to tackle the male enrollment disparity, California is furthest ahead, said Richard Reeves, founder of the , and one of the foremost activists on the issue. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an in 2025 for the state to respond to increasing suicides and “disconnection” among young men and boys, as well as a drop in college enrollment and higher suicide rates.

Newsom also issued a , which calls for 10,000 more men to mentor, volunteer, coach or lead in their communities.

Virginia has moved ahead with the first-ever state-level . Maryland has a fellow from the Institute for Boys and Men working with the governor to work on the state young men young men initiatives push for more male teachers.

Men are missing not only in higher education enrollment but also in service to their communities, in teaching roles and more, Reeves said.

But what is going to work is not clear, even with promising projects, Reeves said. Even so, Reeves said it important that states address the issue and Michigan is doing important work.

“There are too many young men whose talents are being fully realized and that bad for them because they end up feeling lost and disengaged,” said Reeves, who served as the keynote speaker during the state gathering. “It bad for the economy because we see right now very high rates of male youth unemployment; it bad for families because it means that we don’t have men contributing to the family and it bad for women because it means women end up picking up much of the slack.”

Career aspirations

At the Ford Field event, school counselors, teachers and students said there are a range of reasons why some young men are not seeking a post-secondary credential.

Many don’t know what they want to do, and they’re overwhelmed with options, said Amy Messer, a high school science and STEM teacher at Linden Community Schools, south of Flint. Social media has a big effect on decisions, especially for young men, with the prospect of becoming an influencer overblown as a career option.

“I have a lot of kids that say that is what they want to do when they graduate, or be an entrepreneur,” said Messer. “They don’t understand that might not be financially sustainable for them.”

At Pickford High School in the Upper Peninsula, many students have plans for postsecondary education or the military, but undecided students opt to work until they are certain what they want to study because they’re concerned about the expense, said school counselor Jessica Tibbitts. Others have their minds made up and declare they are not going to college.

“But we’re changing that mindset of college by saying that it could be considered any postsecondary education, like trade school or certificate programs,” Tibbitts said. “And so then, they’re a little less scared to have a conversation about what happens next.”

Vaughn Pieters, a senior graduating from Enterprise High School in Warren, is planning to go to a trade school or community college to pursue information technology or cybersecurity. But he may get a job to earn money for his first car, work his way through college and “hopefully get a degree, so I can start a better life, job and career.”

“You want to have a plan, a goal, so you’re not wandering around aimlessly,” said Pieters, 17.

He knows some young men who don’t have a plan.

“It a mentality of a lot of kids nowadays, they don’t take their future seriously enough,” Pieters said. “They’re just in school, to be social, have fun. They’re not focusing on what they need to, and that backfires on a lot of them. However I do know people who care about their futures … and are actually taking steps forward. It inspiring.”

Ashton Sanford, an Oak Park High School student, plans to double-major in finance and business, earn his degree at Grand Valley State University and land a career with a stable income. He attributes his focus to his parents, who are checking his grades regularly, making sure his chores are done and he not getting into trouble, and he filling his resume with extracurricular activities so he “stands out rather than just coasting.”

Most of his friends also have plans after high school. But he knows young men who don’t and attributes it to their environment.

“The main reason for that is the lack of structure at home,” Sanford said.

But Jacob McLaren, who is graduating in June from Bendle High School in Burton, said that isn’t why he not planning to go to college or seeking a career in the trades. He already has a job lined up, working at his school as a custodian on the second shift, earning $16 an hour.

“I don’t want to be in debt,” said McLaren, 18. “I went to school for four years anyways.”

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.