Ready for Class: MIAT Welcomes First Electro-Mechanical Technology Students in September

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By Jennifer Paugh, MIAT Canton President

As a leading career college in the United States, MIAT College of Technology strives to stay abreast of and in sync with employers in a wide range of industries to equip them with skilled workers.   To that end, MIAT secured approval last month to begin offering our first Electro-Mechanical Technology Program at our Canton campus and our first Welding Technology Program at our Houston campus. (Please see our news release announcing these programs: https://miat.edu/news-and-press/miat-college-technology-introduces-welding-programs-houston-campus-electro-mechanical-technology-programs-detroit-metro-campus/).  

Our Canton faculty and staff are gearing up now to welcome our first Electro-Mechanical Technology students in September, with the first day of class set for September 10th, 2018.  We are offering 12-and 18-month Electro-Mechanical Technology programs.  We anticipate class sizes of about 25 to 40 (split between two sessions) at about four enrollments per year.  Our capacity for the entire calendar year is about 100 to 160 new electro-mechanical students. Those who complete our 12-month program will earn a certificate. Those who complete our 18-month program will earn an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences. We anticipate that the first graduation ceremony for this new program will be scheduled for early 2020.

Meeting Critical Needs in the Work Place

MIAT began behind the scenes efforts to offer this program in early 2017.  We knew then and it has been confirmed many times since then that the demand for our electro-mechanical program graduates is great. MIAT graduates will be well-positioned to work in a variety of critical electro-mechanical technician roles in numerous industry sectors.

Employer involvement in our new program has been tremendous. We are especially thankful to representatives from a special group of companies who serve on our Program Advisory Council and who have played a key role in assisting with the development of our Electro-Mechanical Technology curriculum. I would like to recognize PRAB, Inc., Methods Machine Tools, Inc., and Innovative Automation, Inc. for their contributions and support.  In fact, these companies invited MIAT to their facilities to film television ads and other promotional videos for this new program.

Another deserving shout out goes to Derek Cichewicz, one of our knowledgeable and charismatic MIAT instructors. Derek has been responsible for writing the course curriculum for this program. His energy and enthusiasm has propelled this new program to an amazing and enviable level of support from community leaders in Canton and the Detroit metro area. Additionally, Rich Rau has worked tirelessly to ensure that our Electro-Mechanical Technology lab is ready for our new students in this program. Lastly, a special mention is also due to Chris Davis, one of our MIAT high school representatives, who is laying the groundwork to offer our Electro-Mechanical Technology Program to high school students at some point in the near future.

The atmosphere at MIAT’s Canton campus is electric! Launches of new programs serve as opportunities to stimulate innovation, growth and positive change. While an extensive amount of work is involved in launching any new program for faculty and staff, we all benefit from the process of mobilizing and galvanizing our collective time and talent for such a major offering as is our first Electro-Mechanical Technology Program.

MIAT welcomes inquiries and campus tours. To arrange an appointment or to learn more, please visit www.miat.edu.

Thank you now and always for your support.