CANTON, Mich., and HOUSTON, Texas (Nov. 9, 2018) – MIAT College of Technology, a “veteran friendly” career college with campuses in metropolitan Detroit and Houston, will be closed on Monday, Nov. 12, in observance of Veterans Day, Nov. 11. According to the Veterans Administration, individual states, school districts and institutions are free to establish their own policies on closing because there is no legal requirement that schools close on Veterans Day (Source: www.va.gov).
MIAT College of Technology of Canton has been designated as a Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency (MVAA) Gold Level Veteran Friendly School since 2015. Veterans of all branches of the United States military represent a growing percentage of students and faculty members at MIAT College of Technology. At the MIAT campus in Canton, Mich., veterans comprise 23 percent of the total student population and 30 percent of the faculty. At the Houston campus, veterans comprise 25 percent of the student population and 40 percent of the faculty.
“For MIAT, Veterans Day is observed not only on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 of this year. For us, Veterans Day is every day of every week of every year. Serving our military men and women who have served our country is truly an honor and privilege,” commented Jennifer Paugh, MIAT College of Technology president of the Canton campus. “We offer career training that complements or expands upon the experience that many of our student veterans gained during their military engagement. For example, many of our students worked as helicopter, airplane or drone maintenance technicians while they were in the military and want to apply that experience to a future career opportunity in civil or commercial aviation.”
MIAT programs can be completed in as few as three months and typically not more than 24 months. MIAT ‘s FAA-approved Aviation Maintenance Technician program and Energy Technology programs tend to be popular among veterans who enroll as students. MIAT leaders report that increasing numbers of veterans also enroll in other programs that the school offers, such as the Electro-Mechanical Technician program and the Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) technician program.
What “Veteran Friendly” Means to MIAT
MIAT is “veteran-friendly” in many ways.
“Most colleges and universities in the United States continue to hold classes and operate ‘as usual’ on Veterans Day. Jennifer and I decided several years ago when we became campus presidents that MIAT would be closed on Veterans Day. We realize that eliminating a day of an accelerated training program means that we must make up the time elsewhere in the curriculum. The upside is that everyone at MIAT wins by taking this special day off and pausing for the causes that our military men and women have bravely stood and fought for so that the rest of us can be free and safe,” added John Willis, MIAT College of Technology president of the Houston campus.
Veterans from any state or U.S. territory can enroll at MIAT. MIAT’s faculty and staff are focused on ensuring that veterans use the education and training benefits which they are entitled to receive while also equipping them with much needed skills in “high demand” industry sectors. Veterans may qualify for a range of benefits that address tuition, fees, books, tools, laptops, housing, supplemental financial aid, and spousal career advancement programs.
MIAT supports the following programs that are approved by the Veterans Administration and branches of the U.S. Military:
- Chapter 30 and 1606 Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty/Selected Reserve (MGIB and MGIB-SR)
- Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation for veterans with service-connected disabilities
- Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill®
- Chapter 1607 Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)
- Chapter 35 Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)
- Veterans’ Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)
- National Guard Tuition Assistance Program (TA)
- MyCAA Military Spouse Career Advancement Account
- Comparable Credit (Comparable Credit is defined as program credit awarded for demonstrated relevant college-level education acquired through non-traditional schooling, work, or other life experiences.)
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government web site at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
About MIAT College of Technology
MIAT College of Technology was founded in Michigan in 1969 and has built a strong reputation and effective, mutually beneficial working relationships with leading employers throughout the United States. Having almost 50 years of vocational and technical education experience, MIAT serves several hundred students at its 125,000 square-foot headquarters facility in Canton near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport and its 40,400 square-foot campus in Houston near the Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Houston campus, which opened in 2010, is approved to accept international students and is approved and regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Both campuses offer admissions guidance, career services, financial services, housing assistance, and a Learning Resource Center, and are approved for Federal Military and Veterans Education Benefits (VA).
With the support of highly qualified and actively engaged faculty and staff, MIAT College of Technology has graduated thousands of students since its inception. MIAT equips its students with the industry-relevant skills, experience, relationships and connections to employers that it takes to pursue rewarding technical careers.
MIAT develops its programs and curricula in direct response to feedback and input from industry leaders who are seeking qualified employees. The school collaborates with its employer partners to tailor its programs to address the highest needs and priorities of the end users in the industries that they exist to serve. MIAT graduates gain the confidence and extensive preparation that facilitate a smooth transition into the workplace through their industry-influenced, practical training.
MIAT also offers customized industry-specific training for strategic employment partners locally and nationally, which include the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Siemens, Marathon Oil, DTE, and many others. The Canton campus offers co-op programs with numerous local high schools, and the Houston campus also offers a co-op program via the Houston Independent School District at Sterling High School near Hobby Airport.
In addition to Aviation Maintenance Technology, MIAT offers programs full-time in Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR), Energy, and Wind Power. The school\’s curriculum for the Aviation Maintenance Technology Associate in Applied Science degree and Airframe and Powerplant Technician certificate is approved by the FAA under CFR Part 147. MIAT is now also offering programs in Welding at its Houston campus and for Electro-Mechanical Technology at its Canton campus.
For more information, please visit www.miat.edu or call the Canton campus at 800-447-1310 or the Houston campus at 888-547-7047. Tours at each campus are welcome and available by appointment.
MIAT is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).