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., the academic routine of a typical high school senior comes to a halt for Dah Htoo. While his peers at Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul head toward elective classes or lunch, Htoo is departing the campus. He drives six miles north to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest. For Htoo, the classroom is no longer a desk and a textbook; it is a workshop filled with the scent of sawdust, the hum of power tools, and the tangible reality of a future career.
Htoo is a participant in the Finishing Trades program, a specialized initiative that allows high school students to earn credit while gaining professional-grade experience. "Right now, we’re doing drywalling," Htoo said, describing the meticulous process of construction. "We do the process exactly how somebody would do it if they were working in the trades full-time."
For Htoo, this experience has been transformative. He is not currently considering a traditional four-year college education, admitting that the academic path never resonated with him. Yet, before he stumbled upon the vocational route, he felt adrift, unaware of the viable opportunities available to him. His journey into the trades began in a hallway, where he was caught skipping class by Mary Voigt, the Career Pathway coordinator at Johnson Senior High. Rather than reprimanding him, Voigt saw potential and invited him on a field trip to the Finishing Trades Institute. That single moment of intervention bridged the gap between a disengaged student and a budding professional.
The Evolution of Career and Technical Education
The program Htoo attends is part of the broader Career and Technical Education (CTE) system, a nationwide framework designed to integrate academic and technical skills. At Johnson Senior High, students can explore diverse pathways, including health, engineering, education, and business.
Mary Voigt’s approach is rooted in a fundamental shift in perspective that began right before the pandemic. "It was really clear that families whose kids were attending Johnson didn’t see any value in traditional school," Voigt reflected. "I started to ask: Why would they care about school? What are we actually offering them?"
Voigt believes that CTE provides an essential antidote to the "one-size-fits-all" model of education. By incorporating industry-recognized credentials and real-world work experience into the school day, CTE programs transform the educational experience from a series of bureaucratic hoops into a direct trajectory toward a professional future. "It shows students that school can move them toward their goals," she noted.
A Legislative Push for Vocational Funding
The success stories of students like Htoo have not gone unnoticed at the Minnesota State Capitol. A growing contingent of lawmakers is pushing to expand state support for CTE, arguing that the system is currently underfunded and underutilized.
A bill currently in committee, which enjoys bipartisan support, seeks to significantly increase state funding for CTE programs. Rep. Bianca Virnig, a DFLer from the Twin Cities suburbs and the author of the legislation, views the funding as a vital investment in the state’s workforce and its youth.
"The goal is to get those young people to make it through the week, the month, the year—to provide them with the life skills they need to live into adulthood," Virnig stated. Her proposal would raise the state’s reimbursement rate for CTE programs from 35% to 50%. To fund this, the bill requires the Commissioner of Education to generate $46.5 million in each fiscal year through tax structures. Additionally, the bill mandates greater transparency, requiring school districts to submit annual performance reports to the Minnesota Department of Education.
While the bill has momentum, it faces the standard hurdles of legislative debate. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has signaled support for the concept, though she cautioned that "the devil is in the details," particularly regarding how the state will balance the budget and ensure that funding is distributed equitably across diverse districts.
The Economic Reality: High Wage vs. High Demand
The rhetoric surrounding CTE often centers on the phrase "high wage and high demand." Troy Haugen, the director of Career and College Readiness at Minnesota CTE, emphasizes that these programs are designed to funnel students into sectors where the economy is starved for talent. However, a deeper analysis of state data suggests that the economic payoff for CTE graduates is more nuanced than the marketing suggests.
A 2024 study by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) painted a sobering picture. On average, no specific field offered by CTE programs currently generates a "living wage"—defined by state metrics—for workers within their first five years post-graduation. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the living wage in the Twin Cities metro area sits at approximately $48,500 per year. Currently, only students participating in international business pathways within the CTE system tend to exceed this threshold on average.
Critics argue that these findings highlight a need to improve the quality of technical training or better align it with higher-paying unionized trades. Proponents, however, argue that wages are only one metric of success. They point to retention, student engagement, and graduation rates as equally critical indicators of a program’s value.
The Graduation Dividend
If economic data remains complex, the social data is overwhelmingly positive. A 2025 study from the Minnesota Department of Education provided compelling evidence for the efficacy of these programs: 92% of students enrolled in two or more CTE programs graduate from high school. This is an 8% increase over the statewide average, suggesting that for many students, vocational training is the primary factor keeping them in school.
Despite these benefits, a persistent issue remains: student awareness. Many students across Minnesota are still navigating their high school years unaware that CTE options exist.
Anna Warren, a student at Highland Park Senior High School, echoed this sentiment. "I know there are a lot of opportunities you can get with the school," she said. "But oftentimes, they’re not very well publicized. It’s hard to choose a path you don’t know exists."
Bridging the Gap: The Role of Advocacy
To combat the lack of visibility, educators like Mary Voigt are taking on the role of recruiters. At Johnson Senior High, Voigt makes it a point to circulate advertisements for career pathways at least once a week.
"I just want to draw attention to something about career pathways," Voigt said. "I think the kids know who I am, and they know what Career Pathways is. It’s been pretty successful."
These efforts are essential for students who, like Htoo, have a strong sense of what they don’t want, but need help identifying what they do want. For Htoo, the alternative to the trades—sitting in an office and typing all day—was a non-starter.
"I just want to do something productive and hands-on," Htoo said. With his high school graduation approaching, he is now setting his sights on a career in construction or welding, industries that demand physical labor and specialized skill—a far cry from the classroom desks he once sat in.
Implications for the Future
The debate over CTE funding in Minnesota reflects a broader national reckoning regarding the value of higher education versus vocational training. As the cost of college continues to climb and the demand for skilled tradespeople remains at record highs, the state’s commitment to CTE programs may prove to be a defining factor in its long-term economic health.
If the legislature succeeds in passing the proposed funding increase, the next challenge will be implementation. Schools will need to ensure that their programs are not only accessible but also aligned with the rapidly changing needs of the local labor market. As the DEED report suggested, merely offering a program is not enough; the programs must provide a path toward a true living wage.
For students like Dah Htoo, however, the implications are already clear. He has moved from a student who skipped class to a student who leaves school early to pursue his vocation. He has found a community, a purpose, and a skill set that will serve him long after his high school diploma is in hand. As Minnesota moves forward with its legislative agenda, the success of these students serves as both a benchmark and a mandate: to ensure that every student has a pathway, whether it leads to a university lecture hall or a construction site, that is valued, funded, and clear.
