Bridging the Gap: How Minnesota’s Career and Technical Education is Reshaping the Future of High School

This story was produced as part of ThreeSixty Journalism’s 2026 Capitol Reporting Workshop for Minnesota youth, with financial support from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Every day at 11:30 a.m., as his peers head to lunch or their next academic lecture, Dah Htoo leaves the halls of Johnson Senior High School on St. Paul’s east side. He isn’t cutting class—or at least, he isn’t anymore. He is embarking on a six-mile commute north to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest, where he trades textbooks for drywall tools and classroom theory for industrial application.

For Htoo, a senior who once felt disillusioned by the traditional academic grind, this daily pilgrimage represents a lifeline. He is one of many students currently enrolled in the Finishing Trades program, an initiative that allows high schoolers to earn credit while gaining hands-on experience in high-demand construction industries.

"Right now, we’re doing drywalling," Htoo said, describing the meticulous, labor-intensive work he performs daily. "We follow the exact process someone in the field would use. It’s not a simulation; it’s the real thing."

Htoo’s story is a microcosm of a larger, evolving debate in Minnesota’s education system: Are traditional high schools failing students who have no interest in a four-year college path? As state lawmakers consider new funding to bolster Career and Technical Education (CTE), the spotlight is turning toward how schools can better transition students from the classroom to the workforce.

A Chance Encounter: Finding the Pathway

Htoo’s journey into the trades was not a calculated plan born of early career counseling. In fact, he had never considered the trades until his senior year. He candidly admits that he never felt a connection to the standard academic curriculum, viewing school as a series of hoops to jump through rather than a stepping stone to his future.

The catalyst for change was Mary Voigt, the Career Pathway coordinator at Johnson Senior High. Voigt has made it her mission to identify students who are drifting—those who feel invisible within the conventional school structure.

"It was really clear that families and students at Johnson didn’t see any value in the traditional school model," Voigt said. "I started to ask myself: Why would they care about school? What are we actually offering them?"

Her intervention was simple but life-changing. While preparing to lead a group of students on a field trip to the Finishing Trades Institute, Voigt spotted Htoo in the hallway during a time he should have been in class. Instead of disciplining him, she invited him to join the excursion. That single interaction redirected his trajectory, turning a student on the verge of disengagement into one eager to master a craft.

Chronology of a Shift in Educational Philosophy

The movement to prioritize CTE in Minnesota did not happen overnight. It was born out of a realization that occurred just before the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators began to notice a growing disconnect between classroom offerings and the realities of the modern economy.

• Pre-Pandemic (2019): Educators like Voigt begin identifying a "value gap" where students, particularly those not destined for university, struggle to find relevance in high school coursework.
• The Pandemic Pivot (2020-2022): The disruption of remote learning exacerbated student disengagement, forcing school districts to rethink how to keep students present and motivated.
• Policy Formulation (2024): Discussions around workforce development intensified as Minnesota employers reported severe labor shortages in skilled trades.
• The 2025-2026 Legislative Session: A bipartisan effort emerged in the Minnesota State Capitol to provide significant, sustainable funding for CTE programs, moving them from "elective" status to core components of the high school experience.

Today, Johnson High’s program spans a variety of sectors, including health, engineering, education, and business. It is part of a nationwide framework that seeks to modernize technical training, ensuring it is no longer the "vocational school" stigma of the past, but a high-tech, high-reward gateway to professional careers.

Supporting Data: The ROI of CTE

The argument for increasing CTE funding is rooted in more than just anecdotal success stories like Htoo’s. Data suggests that these programs are powerful tools for student retention.

According to a 2025 study by the Minnesota Department of Education, 92% of students enrolled in two or more CTE courses graduate from high school. This is an 8% increase over the statewide average, suggesting that when students see a clear path to a career, they are significantly more likely to persist until graduation.

However, the economic outcomes remain a subject of rigorous debate. While proponents argue that CTE provides "high wage and high demand" jobs, the financial reality can be complex. A 2024 analysis by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) found that, on average, no single CTE-linked field currently generates a "living wage" for graduates within their first five years of entering the workforce.

Using the MIT Living Wage Calculator as a benchmark—which pegs a living wage in the Twin Cities metro area at approximately $48,500 annually—the data indicates that only students pursuing international business pathways through CTE programs are consistently exceeding that threshold early in their careers. This creates a nuance: while CTE may solve the "dropout problem," it still faces a hurdle in ensuring that these entry-level jobs lead to long-term financial stability.

Official Responses and the Legislative Battle

At the State Capitol, the conversation is shifting from "if" we should fund CTE to "how."

Rep. Bianca Virnig, a DFLer representing the Twin Cities suburbs, has authored a bill designed to bridge the funding gap. The legislation proposes increasing the state’s reimbursement rate for CTE programs from 35% to 50%. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to raise $46.5 million annually to support these initiatives, with a mandate for greater transparency and annual reporting to ensure that funds are being used effectively to improve student outcomes.

"The goal is to get these young people to make it through the week, the month, and the year," Rep. Virnig explained. "It’s about equipping them with the life skills to successfully transition into adulthood."

The bill enjoys bipartisan support, reflecting a growing consensus that Minnesota’s workforce needs are not being met by the status quo. However, the path to implementation is not without caution. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has voiced support for the concept but maintains a pragmatic outlook. "I support the bill in theory," Murphy noted, "but the devil is in the details. We need to ensure that this funding translates into tangible, long-term success for these students, not just a temporary fix."

Troy Haugen, Director of Career and College Readiness at Minnesota CTE, remains an optimist. He argues that the value of CTE is not just in the immediate paycheck, but in the adaptability it gives students. "We are preparing students for high-demand fields that are the backbone of our state’s economy," Haugen said.

The Implication: Changing the Culture of "Success"

Despite the potential, a significant barrier remains: public awareness. Many students still view high school through the narrow lens of college admissions.

"I know that there are a lot of opportunities you can get through the school," said Anna Warren, a student at Highland Park Senior High School. "But oftentimes, they’re not very well publicized. You have to hunt for them."

This is where coordinators like Mary Voigt become essential. At Johnson High, she has instituted a weekly outreach campaign, using school ads and direct, face-to-face communication to ensure students know that "Career Pathways" isn’t just a label—it’s a tangible opportunity.

For students like Dah Htoo, the impact is profound. He has moved from a student who skipped class to one who spends his afternoons mastering welding and construction techniques. When asked about his future, he doesn’t speak of lecture halls or dormitories; he speaks of job sites, skill acquisition, and a career that allows him to be "productive and hands-on."

"I didn’t want to just sit in an office and type all day," Htoo said. "I wanted to do something that mattered."

As Minnesota lawmakers continue to debate the fiscal mechanics of the proposed CTE bill, the real-world implications are already playing out in classrooms and workshops across the state. The future of the Minnesota workforce may very well depend on the state’s ability to recognize that for many students, the road to a successful life isn’t paved with a bachelor’s degree, but with the specialized skills, confidence, and purpose found in the trades.

Whether the legislature passes the funding hike or not, the message from students like Htoo is clear: give them the tools, the guidance, and the path, and they will build the future themselves.