Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Manhattan Area Technical College on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 217
Manhattan Area Technical College has transformed from a vocational technical school into an enterprise center for workforce training, offering both traditional college pathways and flexible skills-based education through their Tech Plus program. The college boasts an impressive 98-99% job placement rate with graduates earning $50-70K+ right out of school, demonstrating the critical need for technical education in today's workforce landscape.
• Tech Plus program offers individual-facing, skills-based education without traditional college enrollment
• Easy online enrollment system makes signing up for classes as simple as shopping on Amazon
• 86% of graduates stay in the Manhattan area, creating significant local economic impact
• Regional Testing Center features eight national accreditations, attracting students from across the Midwest
• Nursing initiative has expanded to address critical healthcare workforce shortages
• AI cannot replace hands-on technical skills but creates new opportunities for technically skilled workers
• MATC proactively works with businesses to identify and address workforce skills gaps
Visit manhattantech.edu/techplus to explore our skills-based education options and enroll in courses today.
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour as heard on NewsRadio. Kman Visiting now with a couple of guys from the Manhattan Area Technical College. We have the Dean of Academic Partnerships, chris Boxberger, here. Hello, chris. Good morning, dave, how are you? Good to see you again. Good to see you, welcome to the show and David Umanzor Yep.
Speaker 3:That's how it's said.
Speaker 1:Is that close enough?
Speaker 3:Hey, it's better than most people. I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well, I do this for a living on some days. So you know, hopefully I can do that. You are the outreach coordinator. What does that mean?
Speaker 3:That's a great question. That means a lot of things and also means not a whole lot.
Speaker 1:Okay, you don't do a whole lot. So what you're telling me is Jim hires people like Jim.
Speaker 3:Yeah, hopefully I'll be able to step into his footsteps a little bit and learn from what he's got going on. No, but really it means we're out there, we're talking to people, we're getting connected with people, looking for opportunities to better serve people with skills that they need. But on top of that, it's like any organization, you wear multiple hats. So we've got other things on my plate that really are involved with, ultimately, workforce education getting people that education they need to be able to step up in their careers.
Speaker 1:You know, the story of MATC has evolved so much over the years and, chris, you may know this, david you may not I'm on the board, the foundation board, and you know it's just been something that has become more and more critical. We're hearing more and more about the need for tech ed, not only here in our community but nationally. There's such a shortage. You know I was just reading about airline machinists and how they're aging out and so many people need to come in and fill those roles and those are good paying gigs. That's what Manhattan Area Tech does is prepare people for that kind of work.
Speaker 2:Absolutely We've. I mean, you know our story. We started off as that vo tech down the road.
Speaker 2:And now today, yeah, we're, we're a hundred percent in tech college. But that's where our where David and I come in on the outreach side is. People know we're a college, they can come out to us. But we're actually reaching out and saying, hey, you're an incoming business, how can we help you be successful in Manhattan? Or hey, are you just looking for some community skills? You just want to learn how to weld really quickly? Check out Tech Plus.
Speaker 1:You know, I'll give a shout out to Jim Jeanette because really he's had so much vision for the future of Manhattan Area Technical College and how it has become and here's this phrase enterprise center for workforce training. Chris, what does that mean?
Speaker 2:That is the next leg, that is, developing at the college. So, yes, we have those college credits that you can go and earn, but at the same time, you can come to us and we can. Let's start working about non-credit. So we're not talking about the tuition, we're not talking about these, but you're looking for these skills and it's in whatever field you want. Just, we work with you and we're developing all these different programs. We're working with the businesses, we're working with individuals. It's just this whole other side that it doesn't necessarily involve the college tuition, it doesn't necessarily involve financial aid, but they're affordable classes, they're the skills that people need now to get hired now.
Speaker 1:And how does that benefit? You know, businesses in the community and, and and would be entrepreneurs, Sure, and.
Speaker 2:David can probably speak more of this too, because he's just had a few more interactions with folks. But as businesses are coming in, they're looking to retain people, and we have there's a lot of folks. Unfortunately, we have a lot of turnover just because they're not getting the skills. And so when they come in and they're, we say, hey, we need to work on Microsoft Excel Instead of spending thousands and thousands of dollars saying them off and sitting them in front of a computer. They can just come over to us for a couple hundred bucks and they'll learn Excel all the way through.
Speaker 1:You know, this seems like a matter of educational efficiency, David. I mean, there's so much that you can get that you can apply almost immediately to that next gig.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think what I think about is the scariest word possibly in our time, and that's the word change. Change scares people, whether it's technology's changing, whether the industry is changing, whether all these other change happens, and it's what you do with that change that's going to make the difference. And so for us it is. We do prepare, and it's still a core part of our mission to prepare people with that academic level of excellence for welding and for technical knowledge across all the, all the programs that we offer.
Speaker 3:But we've realized this is how do we help people manage that change? And so, if that's individuals, it is let's come in and learn new skills that are going to help you manage that change that's happening to your business, to your job, because of the changes in industry. If that means we're going to come in and help a business and say look, the industry landscape is changing, you have to be able to stay competitive. The industry landscape is changing, you have to be able to stay competitive. How can we do that? Let's look at what skills, what the skills gap are, our skills gaps are in your workforce and let's fill those and let's get you ready for that next step in your business.
Speaker 1:I think one of the things that that impresses me the most about what I hear from MATC and Jim mentions this all the time is how many jobs are your graduates get out of the shoot, and these are really, for the most part, good paying gigs, Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So, jim, jim, if you, if he's been on before you see him in the community always says 86% of our grads stay in the area. So, right, right there, that tells you the impact that we're making. But, yeah, a lot of our graduates I'm going to tout and probably say that we're close to 98, 99% job placement rates within six months of graduating and these folks, yeah, they're making 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars or more, depending on what the career is.
Speaker 1:One of the things we talked about this earlier in the program with Vern the nursing initiative. This is back and it's new and it's big.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so obviously we're starting to see a pickup. After COVID Our nursing program is completely full. Now for the fall we're trying to find some more spaces. We've increased our CNA enrollments, the nursing initiative grants have really helped us retain some instructors and we're just continuing to build and build and build and try and meet the demand for even just our area. Obviously it's a national almost crisis in a sense, because we can't fill enough the positions, but we're doing our part around here.
Speaker 1:You know we like to think that unemployment here and just about everywhere in Kansas is relatively low. Right, but that doesn't necessarily mean the jobs aren't available.
Speaker 2:That's right. So, yeah, unemployment can be low, but if there's still, if we just may not have enough people to fill all the jobs, that's the other side of that coin that a lot of people don't really talk about.
Speaker 1:So how do you get? How do you cross that bridge?
Speaker 2:Sure. So I think a lot of that that's working in conjunction with our chamber, with a lot of the folks around. How do we get some new businesses to come in? How can we get new folks to come into Manhattan, realize it's the best place in the Midwest to live and really start to grow the population? And if we can be part of that conversation as folks are coming in and saying, hey, I want to set up this manufacturing business, Great, we also have this training resource that you can get trained on. Or if your spouse wants to get some additional education, you have Manhattan Tech, MCC K-State. Everything is right here.
Speaker 1:David, let's talk a bit about the Tech Plus program. This is something I'm not really familiar with, so can you indulge us a little.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, tech Plus is really individual-facing, skills-based education. So some of it's really like, like Chris mentioned a minute ago, it is really specific skills. So one example we have going on this summer so we're gonna have an AG well, ag welding class that's really focused on flux core welding for AG applications. There's a lot of folks who have homesteads in the area or who are involved in farming to some degree, who just, or people who are just enthusiasts that like to go in their garage and weld. That's a great way to get started, all the way to things like Excel, things like just first aid, cpr, aed training, among other things.
Speaker 3:This fall we're also looking we're going to be providing a SHRM certification prep course. So for people who are wanting to really step in, step up their careers in HR, that's a. This is going to be a Manhattan Tech's going to be the place to go through a class to prepare you to get that certification. So it is those skills-based but also getting you ready for your career. That's what Tech Plus is all about and the flexibility piece and I'm sure Chris has something else to add, and we've made it insanely easy to do.
Speaker 2:You just go to manhattantechedu slash tech plus and it's like you're on an Amazon page. You select the class that you want to enroll in, you see what dates it's available and you just pay for it and you come.
Speaker 1:So even an old fool like me can figure out how to navigate that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, If you want to come join me. I even enrolled in our own ag welding class so you can come run a couple beads of flux core with me.
Speaker 1:You know, I I, I did some of that and shop back in high school, you know had a welder on the farm. I'd like to think that there's a lot of things that I'd like to be able to do, but if I had stuck with welding I'd be a whole lot better off financially than I did getting into radio.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's very true. If only we all knew the opportunities.
Speaker 1:I can't make a welder laugh though. Oh goodness. So Regional Testing Center this you know there's been some stuff that's popping up at MATC over the last few years. It just blows my mind.
Speaker 2:So the Regional Testing Center is one of our little hidden gems. It is one of the only testing centers in the nation that we're aware of that has eight national recognized accreditations. So it is sponsored by Pearson VUE. That's one of our big international ones. Educational Testing Services, ets they can do all the teacher certifications, psi, governmental testing, prometric the list goes on and on. We've had folks from all over the Midwest, nebraska, illinois, even come and test at our testing center because they need these certifications.
Speaker 1:And our testing center is that good I want to throw a little bit of a curveball at you, because there's so much focus in the news about AI. Sure, and how that applies in the tech world is a whole lot different, because AI seems to be more word, creative, all kinds of other things. But is there a place for AI in the world of Manhattan Area Technical College?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So what's really interesting is, as these discussions keep going on and on, ai is coming, it's not going away and it's going to get better and better. But right now, as of right now, ai cannot replace hands-on, ai cannot build a house, and so that's where we can come in and work with that. Now, can you get creative ideas? Can we get streamlined some of those mundane tasks to get us to the point where I can actually start using my hands? Absolutely Flip it. On the industry side, we even have folks here in Manhattan that are using AI in a maintenance world. So this AI is predicting when a machine is going to break and we can replace the part before it breaks, and that saves downtime because I've already ordered the part, I can install it and then that machine keeps going. Yeah, it's, there's our there. We have a lot of folks in Manhattan that are already on that cutting edge, and that's where we are at right now is working with them and working in the future on how to integrate these things.
Speaker 3:I'd like to add even on top of that, there's this other aside from the changes that we're seeing with AI and how it's changing the industry, one of the opportunities we've seen, especially for tech education and for people in technical industries, is it's actually a big moneymaker, for technical industries have to have technicians who know how to set up the databases that are going to hold all this data that AI is going to create. We have to have somebody who knows how to build the storage units for it, which actually PTMW, who's coming into town. One of the most recent moves that's coming into town is building those storage facilities. On top of that, there has to be somebody who's going to produce the energy, and we are one of the two electric power distribution programs that we have in the state, so our EPD graduates are going to be able to build the transmission for energy, to produce the, to be able to transmit that energy that's produced so that AI can actually function.
Speaker 1:I'm sure Glad we brought you guys in, because I don't think Jim could have answered that that's all right, but I'll share, just.
Speaker 2:Uh, dr janet, one make sure that I did at least bring a trivia question for you. So, oh okay, all right, your hendrix knowledge okay.
Speaker 1:So, oh gosh, that's not a good good arena for me. But uh, uh, anyway, uh, okay, so for our listeners sake, jim janet always brings in rock trivia for for me, because he thinks you know. He always tries to to prove that he knows more than I do. So go right ahead.
Speaker 2:It's not hard. Well, this one, I don't know. Do you want the Beatles or you want the Hendrix?
Speaker 1:one. Oh, I'd probably be better off with the Beatles. I'll throw the softball at you first, then.
Speaker 2:All right. So what was? What did the fab four initially call themselves before the Beatles?
Speaker 1:Oh, initially call themselves before the Beatles. Oh, it wasn't the Fabulous Flippers. There is a band named Fabulous Flippers that originated in Kansas, so I'm drawn to the Quarrymen.
Speaker 2:You are correct I know I am correct.
Speaker 1:That was very nice. Okay, so hit me with the Hendrix one.
Speaker 2:Hendrix one. This one's a little toughy. All right, so Woodstock 1969. Hendrix played a 1968 Olympic white Stratocaster. What was the name that he gave that Stratocaster?
Speaker 1:Oh, I have no idea, Isabella which also inspired the song Isabella. Gotcha Gee Jim thanks.
Speaker 2:Yeah no problem, your presence is felt.
Speaker 1:Hey, David, I put my note down. Umanzor there you go. Umanzor, umanzor there you go. Hey, it's good to meet you. It's good to meet you too. Yeah, it sounds like we're pretty fortunate to have you at MATC.
Speaker 3:I sure hope so. Very fortunate yeah, Chris.
Speaker 1:Foxburg, always good to have you here. Thanks for joining us. Absolutely, and I'm going to have to start doing the reverse trivia for Jim whenever he comes in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to. What was that game show, beat the Beast? Oh, there's all kinds of things he and I could explore. Maybe he and I should jump into AI together on some concepts we can have a segment for sure. That's a whole lot of.
Speaker 1:Diet Cokes, though, isn't it? We'll be back in just a couple of moments. We've got some other guests who were just on K-Man with Mike Manson of Beyond Reason. Betty O and Dave Baker are going to be in to talk a few minutes about Juneteenth, and I don't even know if Vern's going to get a word in edgewise or not. No-transcript.