Milwaukee Area Technical College

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Milwaukee Area Technical College


Motto	N/A
Established	1912
Type	Community college
President	Darnell E. Cole, Ph.D
Location	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Campus	Urban and Suburban
Website	www.matc.edu

Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a community college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. About 60,000 students are enrolled in the institution per year.

One of MATC's educational outreach programs is the operation of two PBS stations serving southeast Wisconsin. The stations, WMVS channel 10 and WMVT channel 36 are known collectively as Milwaukee Public Television.

[edit] History

Milwaukee Area Technical College traces its roots back to an experimental Wisconsin Law in 1911. The purpose was to encourage young adults who dropped out of high school in order to work full time (a common necessity at that time) to continue their education part time. Employers were required to allow workers to attend and students could participate in the evenings. This innovative approach to education was a first of its kind in the U.S. and quickly spread to other cities in Wisconsin.

The Continuation School was established in 1912 near Mason Street and the Milwaukee River. Its name was changed to the Milwaukee Vocational School in 1916 as trade skills were emphasized. Enrollment grew quickly and by 1923 a new six story building was completed at 7th & State Street, to be named the Milwaukee Area Technical College.