Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn and New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies are investing $5 million in auto technician programs at Breithaupt Career and Technical Center and Western International High School to help the industry keep pace with demand.
Both schools are part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
“The future of our country depends on the skilled trades,” says Jim Farley, CEO of Ford. “By 2029, we’re going to need more than 350,000 new auto technicians across the country — including about 7,000 here in Michigan.
“But these are highly skilled jobs, and people need a way to start learning earlier, build those skills over time, and do it without taking on a lot of debt. That’s why Ford is investing in innovative programs like this — to disrupt the old model and give students a direct path from high school to great jobs, with the chance to keep growing their income, their skills, and even their own businesses over time.”
Ford and Bloomberg say they will lead a public-private partnership to expand and modernize the auto technician programs at the two schools, giving more students access to affordable, hands-on training, and clearer pathways into the automotive workforce.
“Today Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching the first national effort to connect high schoolers to in-demand careers in skilled trades, and our new partnership with Ford and Detroit Public Schools is a great example of it,” says Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and a three-term mayor of New York City. “The shortage of workers in the skilled trades is creating a major economic challenge for the whole country, and Ford and Detroit are stepping up to help solve it, by opening doors of opportunity to more young people.”
The $5 million investment focuses on four critical pillars that align with the district’s new strategic direction:
Modernizing Classrooms: Upgrading facilities with the latest automotive tools and industry-standard training technology to ensure students learn in environments that mirror modern repair shops.
Increasing Work-based Learning and Credentials: Expanding access to professional certifications, internships, and college-credit programs, including the Ford ACE Automotive Career Exploration curriculum. These opportunities will help students gain industry-recognized skills while still in high school.
Investing in Educators: Providing teachers with advanced professional development and training to ensure they are equipped to lead the new 2026-2027 curriculum standards.
Removing Transportation Barriers: Providing dedicated transportation support to ensure all students can reliably reach off-site training and work-based learning opportunities.
The investment is part of a newly announced national initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies to strengthen high school pathways into skilled trades careers by bringing schools, employers, and local partners together. It will serve as a cornerstone of the district’s broader High School Redesign initiative, set to launch this fall at all 11 Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) neighborhood high schools.
“By 2028, this investment in auto skills will quadruple our capacity to train student auto technicians, growing enrollment at Breithaupt and Western High School from 85 students to more than 300 students,” says Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the DPSCD. “This includes restarting the auto technician program at Western by converting former auto bays into modern, industry-aligned training spaces that give students access to the tools and environments they will experience in the workforce.”
At Breithaupt, the investment will expand access to hands-on automotive training by modernizing instructional spaces, increasing capacity within existing automotive labs, and enhancing the learning environment to better support student projects and workforce preparation. The improvements will help increase the number of students who can access automotive training and prepare for careers in one of Michigan’s most in-demand industries.
“This investment goes beyond facilities — it connects students directly to paid internships, transportation, and real-world learning opportunities that drive career success,” Vitti says. “Through our High School Redesign work, we are aligning classroom learning with high-growth industry demands and strengthening the skilled trades pipeline while offering a national model for how industry and education can work together to finally connect talent to opportunity.”
For more information, visit detroitk12.org.
