Metallica believes that hands-on trades are worth their money. They also believe in what MATC has done and is doing to promote those programs.
Crafting cabinets out of fine wood with his own hands appeals to Jason Texieira.
Even better is that he could install the finished product inside a home during a Midwest winter and stay toasty warm.
Best of all, he could earn nearly $40 an hour doing it.
“I’d have to give it some thought, but that sure sounds good,” said Texieira, a senior at Whitnall High School, as he toured the cabinetry workspace at Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Oak Creek Campus. “I could deal with that.”
Cabinetmaking and architectural woodworking were among the numerous hands-on trades that nearly 150 area high school students explored on Tuesday, October 28, at MATC’s Oak Creek Campus.
Students from Cudahy, Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield, Oak Creek, St. Francis, South Milwaukee and Whitnall high schools participated in the Heavy Metal Tour, a daylong event sponsored in part by All Within My Hands (AWMH), a nonprofit foundation established by the members and management of the rock band Metallica to support and advance careers in “heavy metal” manufacturing fields.
AWMH and Metallica have given MATC nearly $300,000 during the past four years toward scholarships and sponsoring events like the Heavy Metal Tour, said Carol Voss, associate dean of the college’s Manufacturing, Construction and Transportation Academic and Career Pathway.
The first $100,000 came in July 2022, when MATC was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive money from AWMH. In June 2024, MATC was one of five community colleges to receive another $100,000 from AWMH, thanks to a donation from the Lowe’s Foundation to fund critical training, equipment, recruiting and wraparound services.
“Metallica believes that hands-on trades are worth their money,” Voss told the students. “They also believe in what MATC has done and is doing to promote those programs.”
The students started their day by gathering in the Oak Creek Campus cafeteria, where music by Metallica thumped through the sound system. They received Metallica T-shirts and posed for photos to show their support for the AWMH Metallica Scholars Initiative.
Even MATC President Anthony Cruz got in on the fun, appearing at the event and snapping selfies with the students.
Students got a first-hand look at careers in welding, power engineering, tool and die making, truck driving, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, cabinet making, carpentry, and heating and cooling systems (HVAC). They also heard from representatives from numerous area employers in the trades.
After lunch, the students left the campus and visited several local employers, including Eaton, Kinetic, Allis Roller, Carmex, Krones and S&C Electric.
The goal of the event was to expose students to opportunities in manufacturing, which offers high-demand, high-paying careers, said Dr. Patricia Nájera, executive director of the Oak Creek Campus.
“We want you to get to know what we offer,” she told the students. “We really would love to see you come back and register for classes with us.”
The students toured workspaces and labs dedicated to the maintenance and repair of heating and cooling equipment, woodworking, welding, and CNC machining. They also visited the new trucking driving course in front of the main building.
In the cabinetry lab, Texieria and several of his classmates drilled and sanded squares of wood while instructor Larry Pappalardo extolled the virtues of the profession.
“There is a high demand for this,” he told the students. “Employers are always calling me for students. This field is losing people who are getting older. We need young people to learn all the tricks of the trade that the older guys know.”
In the CNC machining lab, instructor Mark Skattebo told students about the high wages offered in the field, which is struggling to fill open positions. “Along with your wage, there’s always overtime,” he said. “You can make another $15,000 or $20,000 more in overtime. That’s the reality right now.”
Many of the trades are available through MATC’s dual enrollment programs, where students attend MATC classes free of charge during their senior year and can earn a technical diploma or certificate before getting their high school diploma.
“That’s a really great way to get a great head start of a career,” HVAC instructor Charles Barbour said.
Find out about the programs offered in MATC’s Manufacturing, Construction and Transportation Pathway
About All Within My Hands (AWMH): Established by the members and management of Metallica in 2017 as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band, AWMH is focused on supporting sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger and other critical local services. All expenses of the AWMH are covered by the band, the board and a few special friends so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.