2026 State of Education and Talent: From Economic Constraint to Economic Advantage

• The available pool of talent is shrinking, making every learner increasingly important to Michigan’s workforce. Demographic shifts are reducing the number of young people entering the postsecondary pipeline, while working-age adults with some college experience represent a significant opportunity to develop more talent.
• Michigan is still losing too many people along the way. Only 33 of every 100 ninth graders earn a postsecondary degree or credential within six years of enrollment, and regional post-high school enrollment has fallen from 73% to 63%.
• Universities shouldn’t decide a student’s future; they should prepare them for their future. Some of the obstacles to this include students not choosing any path, training providers providing incorrect credentials, and leaders not promoting what they preach to the next generation.

Watch the full recording below.

According to the latest data from the Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan’s talent pipeline is getting smaller, making every learner more important to the state’s economic future.

On Nov. 12, the Chamber’s Senior Director of Detroit Drives Degrees, Meghan Schmidbauer, shared what is happening in the talent pipeline, who we need to reach to make progress, and why these trends matter to the Detroit Region’s economy, as detailed in the 2026 State of Education and Talent report.

The house is on fire, Schmidbauer explained, sharing that Michigan schools and universities are still losing students along the way. Since 2015, of 100 ninth graders in the Region, 84 graduated from high school, 56 enrolled in college within a year, and only 33 earned a degree or credential within six years. This means no single intervention will fix this.

In addition to Schmidbauer, the State of Education and Talent event featured the Chamber’s Chief Education and Talent Officer, Greg Handel, and a panel of regional leaders, moderated by Nick Monacelli, Anchor and Reporter at WDIV-TV 4, NBC, to discuss this latest data further, as well as share action-based solutions to improve outcomes.

With fewer young people under 24 entering Michigan’s talent pipeline, fewer graduates will enter the postsecondary pipeline, ultimately leaving less room for loss.

Sen. Sarah Anthony identified population growth as a key concern that now also contributes to Michigan’s difficulty attracting and retaining talent. She linked that to the economic pressures residents face and the need for a more comprehensive strategy to improve the state.

“The reality is that we are not both attracting and retaining talent, and that has to do with a lot of our economic challenges,” Anthony said.

One solution Wayne State President Richard A. Bierschbach shared for navigating the shrinking population was to focus efforts on adult learners.

“If we could get 500,000 or 600,000 adult learners to get their four-year degree, boy, would that provide a talent base that would be attractive to the kinds of industries in the knowledge economy,” he said, saying this challenges educators and employers to design a pathway for adult learners that lets them return and finish here in Michigan.

For every 100 ninth-grade students, fewer students graduate from high school, enroll in college within 12 months, and go on to complete a credential or degree within six years. This implies that our system is losing people at multiple transition points, particularly after high school and after students begin postsecondary education.

Sarah Szurpicki shared that the pieces to resolve this issue are beginning to come together. For example, Michigan Reconnect has had a positive impact on students, and state financial aid is at an all-time high, with the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) awarding financial aid to 166,000 Michigan students.

“We will get tired of this problem,” she said. “This is a decades-long issue that we keep throwing things at.”

Affordability, perception, value, and lack of awareness are some of the many reasons the drop-off rate continues to decline as students transition from high school to postsecondary education. All panelists acknowledged that affordability is an issue. However, the perception of affordability is the real issue.

Bierschbach stated, “I can tell you 60% of our students at Wayne State University, our first-year full-time students incoming this year, don’t pay any tuition,” and continued by saying, “87% of our students get some kind of financial aid. If more students were aware that they could have free tuition when they enroll in college, many students would be surprised.”

From an employer perspective, Jessica Roy shared that while she is seeing more graduates at the end, that’s actually the problem. Reflecting on how businesses shape perceptions of college degrees and what that investment looks like, Roy said the reality is that students and families focus on the here and now. “

“80% of the jobs that are paying that living wage, over $65,000, in this region, require a degree, but we’re actually hiring from a smaller and smaller pool of students that are going through that process,” she said. “We can’t ask families in Michigan to invest in education if hiring and pay don’t actually reward that in what they’re seeing in the immediate terms.”

As the workforce ages and there is a strong push for students to pursue skilled trades over traditional university paths, the debate continues: Are students now faced with too many choices?

Anthony made it clear that we need an all-of-the-above approach to preparing students for the jobs of the future. “We need just as many teachers, welders, and doctors that we can possibly get.” It all matters.

She stressed the importance of ensuring that all students have access to all the opportunities available.

“I’m old enough to remember when they would tell the low-income kids and the kids of color that they should go work with their hands,” she said, “That they should go to the skilled trades and go get their journeyman’s card, and don’t reach higher than your neighborhood community college.”

Rather than thinking there are too many options for students, Szurpicki emphasized three issues students are actually facing.

• Too many students are choosing no options and going to McDonald’s.
• Training providers are selling nonvaluable credentials.
• Leaders are saying, “Don’t go to college,” while their kids go to college.

Looking at the bigger picture, Szurpicki shared that the ultimate goal should be for high school graduates to have good options and know that their personal passions will guide them to something that sticks. Registered apprenticeships are one way to accomplish this since there will always be a need for them in their respective fields, but not at the expense of the other postsecondary credentials.

“I don’t think we need to start telling students exactly what their pathway is,” she said. “I think we need to be preparing them for every pathway being before them.”