Milwaukee Area Technical College

Coordinates: 43°2′35.3″N 87°55′13.8″W / 43.043139°N 87.920500°W / 43.043139; -87.920500

Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. Enrollment is about 60,000. MATC offers over a dozen accredited associate degrees, as well as well over a hundred vocational licenses, job training certificates, and adult enrichment courses. MATC also runs GED and HSED classes at local community-based organizations and offers high school diplomas through its Adult High School program.

One of MATC's educational outreach programs is the operation of two PBS stations serving southeastern Wisconsin. The stations, WMVS channel 10 and WMVT channel 36, are known collectively as Milwaukee Public Television. In 1992, in partnership with Zenith Corp. and AT&T, Channel 10 produced the nation’s first test broadcast of a digital television signal. In March 2000, the station became the first in Wisconsin to begin regular broadcast of digital, high-definition programs. MATC entered the wireless digital era in 2003, becoming the first college in Wisconsin to provide wireless Internet service throughout all campuses.

Milwaukee Area Technical College traces its roots to an innovative 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 6th & State Street, to be named the Milwaukee Area Technical College.

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