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Thanks to Milwaukee Area Technical College, 18-year-old Larelle Jackson is bringing home the bag.
In May 2026, Jackson earned a technical diploma from MATC’s Electrical Power Distribution program. Ten days later, he started a full-time job as a line mechanic at We Energies’ Metro North facility in Milwaukee.
That’s a gig that pays between $33 and $38 per hour, or more than $68,000 per year, according to Google.
“I think I’m in a great spot,” said Jackson, who graduated from Milwaukee’s Rufus King International High School in June 2025. “Not only do I feel ready to help people with their (electrical) problems, like fixing outages and repairing storm damage, but I also feel a sense of personal accomplishment.”
And Jackson should, said MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz. “He’s entering the middle class before many of his peers are finishing their first year in college,” Dr. Cruz said. “This is a life changer for Larelle and for his family.”
The Ellen and Joe Checota MATC Scholarship Program made all the difference for Jackson. The scholarship helps students in technical and trade programs enter the workforce quickly. The scholarship assists with the cost of tuition, books and supplies, meals, transportation, and child care, if needed, so students can focus on their studies.
“I can’t say enough about how much the Checota scholarship helped me out,” Jackson said. “I always had a lot of support, I always got the information I needed and I received a lot of career advice. Any time I needed anything, the Checota people were on it. I’m so thankful for how the program helped me.”
Every year, MATC helps thousands of students; it’s not a little tech college that can’t compete with bigger, better-known four-year colleges – MATC is Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest.
With an MATC degree, diploma or certificate, graduates can start a great paying career, advance professionally or continue their education at a four year institution.
Here’s what MATC offers:
Variety: MATC has more than 180 programs, including 48 in high-demand skilled trades, such as industrial maintenance, aviation maintenance, transportation servicing, building systems, horticulture, HVAC, computer numerical control (CNC) machining and welding.
Affordability: The cost of attending MATC is much lower than most other colleges and universities in our region, according to MATC and the Wisconsin Technical College System:
- MATC: $4,984
- Universities of Wisconsin System four-year degree: between $8,658 and $12,416
- Private, out of state public four-year college: $58,195
Flexibility: MATC meets you where you are by offering classes in person and online.
Convenience: There’s an MATC campus near you: Downtown Milwaukee, Mequon, Oak Creek and West Allis, plus the Education Center at Walker’s Square in Milwaukee.
Scholarships: The MATC Foundation awards scholarships based on academic merit, leadership and participation, financial need, or any combination of these.
Academic Quality: MATC’s degree, diploma and certificate programs are taught by industry-experienced instructors who give you one-on-one guidance from day one.
Transferability: MATC has seamless transfer options that can lead to bachelor’s degrees from more than 45 four-year colleges and universities, including Marquette University, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee and UW Parkside.
Economic Mobility: MATC is fully committed and laser-focused on connecting students to careers that provide family-sustaining wages and alleviate generational poverty.
“Giving our graduates the skills and training to start and advance in higher paying, long-lasting careers means that employers fill critical roles, families achieve economic mobility and our communities grow stronger,” Dr. Cruz said. “We want our students to succeed in the classroom and in their careers. Whatever your goals are — a big promotion, a four-year degree, a whole new future — getting there starts at MATC.”
Manuel Correa-Coria graduated from MATC’s Truck Driving program in the spring of 2026 and now drives quad axle dump trucks at the Port Washington data center project.
High school students can earn college credits; save money
Hallee Tretow started at MATC while still attending Ozaukee High School. As a sophomore there, she saw a welding tank switched on for the first time in her life. The nozzle heated up, a hot jet of gas started searing metal and she was gobsmacked.
“I had seen welding being done in videos and television, but at that moment I realized that it was me actually doing it,” Tretow recalled. “I felt like it was the coolest thing.”
She spent her senior year of high school taking welding courses at MATC’s Mequon Campus through a free dual enrollment program. In 2023, she graduated with a technical diploma from MATC the same day she earned her high school diploma.
She got a full-time job welding at Wisconsin Stamping & Manufacturing in Germantown, received three scholarships from the American Welding Society and earned an associate degree in Welding Technology from MATC in May 2025.
Now 21, Tretow left college debt-free and with a great-paying job and unlimited career possibilities.
“Opportunities really expand when you get that extra schooling,” Tretow said of her associate degree. “The demand for welders is very high and job security is a big thing for me.
“It’s kind of scary how much debt you can run up going to college. The cost of living is stressful,” she added. “I don’t have a lot of those worries, and I think it gives me a lot more freedom.”
Scholarships can make the difference
Getting free from debt prompted Manuel Correa-Coria to enroll in MATC’s Truck Driving program in January 2026. The 34-year-old Milwaukee resident was drowning in credit card debt and overdue bills. He was working at a nursery, barely earning minimum wage.
At MATC, he received a scholarship from All Within My Hands (AWMH), a foundation established by the rock band Metallica to support students in
heavy metal trades such as HVAC, automotive/diesel, CNC machining, welding and trucking.
Correa-Coria completed the program, which is based at MATC’s Oak Creek Campus, in March 2026 and soon after secured a full-time job driving quad-axle dump trucks at the Port Washington data center project.
“Metallica was there when I needed it most,” he said. “I had about $40 in my savings when I came to MATC. Not knowing how I was going to pay for school was stressful. Getting the scholarship made a huge difference.”
Check out MATC today: www.matc.edu/apply
