At the Pancakes and Politics speaker series a couple of weeks ago, career training facilities such as Randolph and Breithaupt Career Technical Centers was one of the main topics of discussion. Today, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti, joined officials from Quicken Loans and Bedrock to announce their $1 million investment in the Breithaupt Career and Technical School.
The investment kicks off the City’s efforts to raise $9 million to revitalize the school’s training programs and infrastructure over the next three years. When the improvements are completed, Breithaupt will serve hundreds of youth and adults seeking skilled trades training and career pathways.
Breithaupt Career and Technical School trains students in culinary arts, retail and hospitality; automotive service and collision repair; and mechatronics and welding. The technology-based, high-quality, hands-on education expands students’ professional options and is a pathway to increased opportunity. The school currently engages 450 students and expects to grow to over 650 students as a result of this investment. Over the next three years, Breithaupt will serve over 2,000 youth and adults.
“Employment opportunities are continuing to expand in Detroit, and we need to make sure every Detroiter has access to job training and career pathways,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “That’s why I am so excited about this investment in Breithaupt and in the City’s other career technical education centers. Thanks to Quicken Loans’ and Bedrock’s generous contribution, we are off to a great start on revitalizing these critical programs.”
The $1 million investment from Quicken Loans and Bedrock is the first major contribution to the project, a partnership between DPSCD, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), the City of Detroit and Mayor Mike Duggan’s Workforce Development Board. The effort will raise $9 million in funding and in-kind contributions to improve programming and infrastructure at Breithaupt.
“Detroit’s long-term growth depends on job creation. We are proud to be part of an initiative that is training Detroit residents for the thousands of opportunities emerging around the city,” said Bill Emerson, Vice Chairman of Quicken Loans. “We remain committed to ensuring that employment opportunities for Detroiters develop as the city grows. Programs like Breithaupt are a critical element of that equation.”
Breithaupt will be the second of Detroit’s career technical education schools to be revitalized after Randolph CTE center underwent a similar $10 million renovation, adding programs and replacing old equipment. Today, more than 300 high school students attend training programs at Randolph during the day in fields such as electrical, plumbing and masonry. More than 300 adults train in the same fields after school.
“Working together, we want to bring new life to Breithaupt through the perfect mix of private and public partnerships, as we did for Randolph,” said David Meador, vice chairman and chief administrative officer at DTE, who also serves as the co-chairman of Mayor Mike Duggan’s Workforce Development Board. “There are more career opportunities available to Detroiters than there have been in decades, so it’s important to ensure the next generation have the skills they need to get good, quality jobs.
The CTE programs at Randolph and Breithaupt saw declines in enrollment before the partnership started the revitalization efforts. Now, DPSCD has seen increased enrollment at Randolph and expects enrollment to go up at Breithaupt following the program and infrastructure improvements.
“The transformation of Randolph and the district’s ability to collaborate and implement effectively with business partners has inspired new projects and opportunities for schools, students, and economic development,” said Vitti. “The most recent evidence of this is now at Breithaupt, where the investment in new facilities will position the district to offer unique automotive, culinary and cosmetology programming to accelerate our expansion of college and work-ready pathways for students. Detroit is seeing unprecedented cooperation between the district, city and business community to develop the next generation of talented employees.”
Quicken Loans and Bedrock will also help the City and Breithaupt work with community and industry experts to align their curriculum with high-growth, high-demand industries. The goal of the program is to prepare students to enter the workforce and to provide them with the tools and skills to be successful.
“Our tenants have a strong need for people who have culinary arts, retail and hospitality skills, and Bedrock’s investment in Breithaupt will help build a pipeline of talent for Detroit’s growing economy,” said Jim Ketai, CEO, Bedrock. “Our company is investing billions in transformational development projects that will generate tens of thousands of permanent and construction jobs in Detroit. Every tenant in our portfolio will benefit from gaining access to job candidates like those that graduate from Breithaupt.”
These efforts are part of Mayor Duggan’s Detroit at Work program, which connects Detroiters directly to jobs and training programs open today. There are currently more than 5,000 jobs and 100 training programs listed at DetroitatWork.com, many in high-growth sectors of healthcare, IT, construction, transportation, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and entertainment.
Quicken Loans and Bedrock will be joined by other partners in the effort to revitalize the school, including DTE Energy, Penske Corporation, General Motors and Ford Motor Company, with more to join as the effort gets under way.
Interested families and students seeking enrollment information should contact the Breithaupt Career and Technical School at 313-866-9550.
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