If there’s one challenge on the minds of manufacturing executives, it’s attracting and retaining top talent.
According to the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity’s 2025 Manufacturing Report, “finding and attracting qualified employees” ranked as manufacturers’ top concern, cited by 51% of respondents. “Keeping qualified employees” followed closely behind at 49%.
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) is addressing talent concerns head-on, not only through the college’s specialized degree pathways, but by fostering partnerships with local manufacturers to develop manufacturing talent from within.
“The challenge with manufacturing in southeastern Wisconsin is you have everything from a Fortune 500 brand-name manufacturer down to a mom-and-pop shop that may be 20 people or less. Yet that small shop can still be a global powerhouse in terms of what it produces,” said MATC’s Director of Workforce Solutions John Knapp, Ph.D. “How do we better serve this wide breadth of companies? And also, as a local community partner, how do we make sure we’re serving these small- and mid-sized manufacturers that don’t necessarily have the resources that the large do?”
MATC has set its sights on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Technologist Advanced Manufacturing Program (TechAMP). Launched in the fall of 2024 and funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, TechAMP addresses what is referred to as “the missing middle” – the talent gap between technicians and engineers. Through a 12-month curriculum that combines in-person lab instruction, online learning, simulations and a capstone project, program participants are certified as technologists.
To date, six institutions nationwide have implemented MIT’s TechAMP program. MATC is working with MIT toward launching TechAMP at two of its campuses in 2027, helping strengthen local talent and giving the region’s manufacturing industry a competitive edge.
“This program is a straightforward option to upskill your talent,” said Knapp. “I see an emerging role for individuals who fall between an entry-level technician and an engineer. Building that middle layer of advanced technical talent would make our region’s manufacturers more productive, adaptable and competitive.”
Knapp also hopes that the implementation of TechAMP will change future generations’ perceptions of what it means to work in manufacturing.
“I would love to see more high school students choose technician-level careers knowing they can grow into advanced technologist roles. The roles, the pay, the quality of the companies, and the constant problem-solving and technology involved would surprise many students if they had a more accurate picture of modern manufacturing.”
MATC is currently seeking manufacturing partners to help shape TechAMP’s regional launch and identify employees who could benefit from the program. Participants from employer partners will be able to take part in the initial cohort at no cost, but space will be limited and spots must be reserved. Companies interested in partnering with MATC or reserving potential participant spots are encouraged to contact Dr. John Knapp at knappj12@matc.edu.
