Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette CTE Director Corey Soumis (left) and CCISD Superintendent Jim Rautiola gave a video presentation Thursday at the Bluffs, in Houghton, to discuss the success of the CTE program while seeking a CTE millage renewal.

Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette

CTE Director Corey Soumis (left) and CCISD Superintendent Jim Rautiola gave a video presentation Thursday at the Bluffs, in Houghton, to discuss the success of the CTE program while seeking a CTE millage renewal.

CCISD discusses CTE importance, seeks millage renewal

GRAHAM JAEHNIG

HOUGHTON – As National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month drew to a close last week, on Thursday Copper Country Intermediate School District Superintendent Jim Rautiola and CTE Director Corey Soumis presented a talk at the Bluffs in Houghton to discuss the importance of the program not only to students but to the community and the local economy.

The CCISD’s CTE program has grown significantly since August, 2017, when voters in Houghton, Keweenaw and Baraga counties approved, by a two-to-one margin, a millage request, of 0.9797 mills. The millage is up for renewal in May.

In 2018, there were 198 students from throughout the Copper Country taking CTE classes at no cost to the local school districts, thanks to the millage passage. Nine years later, the program now numbers more than 350 students, says Soumis.

Rautiola talked about the “Silver Tsunami,” which refers to the massive demographic shift caused by the aging Baby Boomer generation (born 1946-1964) as they reach retirement age. This “tsunami” of roughly 10,000 people turning 65 daily is causing unprecedented strain on healthcare, social services and the economy, while driving a major wealth transfer.

“There’s a lot of people exiting the workforce and there’s not a lot of people coming in to fill those jobs,” he said. “For about every five people who retire from the electrical field, only two are coming in.”

Rautiola went on to say that coming into the 2026 building season, the nation is about 350,000 jobs short. “We project into 2027, we will be almost half a million jobs short,” he said.

The CTE program offers students pathways in automotive technology, construction technology, welding/manufacturing, health occupations, including Certified Nursing Assistant, allowing many students to find good jobs in the local community.

Soumis said the CCISD has partnerships with Gogebic Community College, Michigan Tech, where the CT Engineering Design Program is taught, and Keweenaw Bay Ojibway Community College in Baraga.

Soumis said many students are equipped to enter into the workforce after graduating from high school.

“We have many people from construction, technology, that we have a program for,” he said, “and they go right into the workforce for local construction companies, or their own business, electrical companies, you name it.”

Increasingly, he said, there are college opportunities students are taking advantage of the college opportunities for additional high-tech skills.

“We’re looking at real-world skills for students,” said Soumis. “It’s not studying English or math, which are important; it’s using those subject areas in real-world skills. There are opportunities in CTE that support future growth — future growth for students, future growth for businesses, future growth for our communities, and sustaining our communities.”