Iron County schools win state funding for middle school manufacturing programs

Forest Park and West Iron County each won $234,814 to launch middle school advanced manufacturing programs, putting Iron County in the middle of a statewide push to steer students toward high-demand trades before they reach high school scheduling bottlenecks.

The awards were part of a $4,009,488 Upper Peninsula funding round that went to 14 districts, and part of a much larger $24.2 million career and technical education expansion from the Michigan Department of Education. State officials said the round covered 56 school districts and 87 grants, with 46 new middle school CTE programs and 41 new high school programs slated to open statewide.

In West Iron County, the district said the grant will support a new Middle School Advanced Manufacturing program for students in grades 6 through 8. Superintendent Kevin Schmutzler said the goal is to spark curiosity, build confidence and connect classroom learning to real-world applications. The district said the work is meant to help close opportunity gaps in rural areas and create a smoother path from middle school exploration to high school credentialing, postsecondary training and local jobs.

Forest Park Superintendent Michelle Thomson said the program is intended to give students hands-on experience in machining, welding, robotics and industrial maintenance, fields that continue to draw demand across the region. That matters in Iron County, where employers depend on a steady flow of trained workers and where too many young people leave for training and never return.

The state program, called Manufacturing and Engineering Education Reimagined for All, or MEERA, was designed by TECHnista Consulting to align education, industry and workforce development. Michigan Department of Education officials said the grants were funded through Section 61v CTE Expansion Grant dollars approved by the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and that middle school interest was especially strong in advanced manufacturing, digital technology and construction.

The regional training hub for the Upper Peninsula will be built at the Bay College-Iron Mountain campus, adding a local anchor for the pipeline from middle school exposure to postsecondary training. Bay College relocated its Iron Mountain welding lab in 2024 to expanded space at 1900 N. Stephenson Ave. to better serve students and employers, and the college has continued to expand STEM and community engagement programming. For Iron County, the question now is whether these grants become a lasting workforce investment or just another announcement.