Innovative Apprenticeship for Cutting-Edge Careers

Their journey started three years ago and now the first cohort of Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2) students are college graduates with associate degrees in Computer Numerical Controlled Machining (CNC). Kalamazoo Valley Community College students John Hogue, Jacob Sechrist and Jarod VanDyken were among the 17 graduates from across the state who were recognized on July 13 during a graduation ceremony at the Michigan History Center in Lansing.

“These graduates are educationally debtfree, making $20-$25 per hour and are expected to stay with their sponsoring company for at least the next two years, filling needed jobs in a tight market," said Bill Kring, machine tool faculty member at Kalamazoo Valley.

The MAT2 program is the state’s innovative apprenticeship track that provides access to cutting-edge careers in advanced manufacturing through a partnership with more than 50 Michigan companies. MAT2 is a public-private collaboration in which employers pay tuition for an apprentice’s associate degree and provide on-the-job training with pay. Students who receive their degree and complete the three-year program requirements successfully have a job upon graduation in a high-demand field. Today, Michigan has nearly 200 MAT2 students.

“The need for advanced manufacturing employees is expected to remain strong as baby boomers retire, with more than 100,000 job openings anticipated in Michigan through 2024. Average wages for full-time jobs in this arena are $23.37 an hour,” said Director of Advanced Technology Training Michael Gettle.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is expanding MAT2 options for students by offering mechatronics training and by building on collaborations with two West Michigan employers. Lippert Components Director of Technical Training Operations Mike Smith said, “A highly skilled workforce is vital to Lippert Components' success, so we’re delighted to partner with Kalamazoo Valley Community College and promote the MAT2 program. The importance of MAT2 to supporting the professional trades in Michigan cannot be more apparent.”

Duke Moses, U.S. Academy Manager at Benteler Automotive said, “Kalamazoo Valley Community College and MAT2 are helping West Michigan to change the conversation around careers in advanced manufacturing and grow awareness about the opportunities professional trades careers provide.”

Lippert and Benteler are sponsoring seven students beginning this fall at Valley. To accommodate these students and others in its professional trades training, the college is expanding its skilled trades lab for hands-on learning. “We are enlarging our capacity to serve traditional students and those enrolled in the MAT2 program,” said Dean of Instruction for Business, Professional Trades and Public Services, Suzanne Gardner. “By working together, we can help create and fill a pipeline of talent with in-demand skills while helping West Michigan businesses grow and thrive,” Gardner said. A second group of mechatronics students will be starting in 2019.

Very different from just a generation ago, today’s skilled trades careers offer an array of opportunities that provide long-term employment in modern facilities with high pay and comprehensive benefits.

For more information about Kalamazoo Valley’s MAT2 contact Suzanne Gardner at sgardner@kvcc.edu@kvcc.edu.