Top officials from Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) and the City of Detroit recently joined executives at Quicken Loans and Bedrock to announce a $1 million investment in Breithaupt Career and Technical School. The investment is the first step to raise $9 million over the next three years to revitalize the school’s education/training programs and infrastructure.
In addition to the $1 million investment from Quicken Loans and Bedrock, a partnership has been formed with DPSCD, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), the City of Detroit and Mayor Mike Duggan’s Workforce Development Board to raise the $9 million in funding and in-kind contributions.
“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 to revitalizing these critical programs.”
When the improvements are completed, Breithaupt will serve hundreds of youth and adults seeking skilled trades training and career pathways. Breithaupt 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 opportunities. Breithaupt currently serves 450 students, but expects to morph in scope to serve more than 650 in the future.
“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 is the second of Detroit’s career technical education schools to undergo vast revitalization. In 2017, Randolph CTE Center underwent a similar $10 million renovation, which included 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.
“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 DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai 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.”
“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-chair of 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.”
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 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.”
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