Exploring Their Options: MATC’s Gap Year Program Helps Students Plan for Future

The Gap Year program has really helped me plug into what I liked.

Rashied Daniels sees a brighter future through bricklaying.

He fell in love with laying and binding bricks, blocks and stones — a skilled trade where the average pay is $36 per hour — while recently building a patio.

“I just love the whole environment of bricklaying,” Daniels said. “It’s what I would love to do.”

His ambitions have been reinforced by participating in Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Gap Year program, where high school graduates who are uncertain of their future explore various career and educational opportunities.

Once a week for 10 weeks during the fall semester, program participants learn about occupations, hear about college programs and visit regional businesses. 

“It’s OK if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, but we’re here to help you start to narrow your choices down,” said Courtney Kelly, the college’s coordinator of career services.

MATC and the community organization NEWaukee piloted the Gap Year program in 2021. The 2026 cohort has 16 students, including Daniels.

He started at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee, but he soon stopped going to class. Daniels later attended Project STAY, an alternative high school for students at risk of dropping out. He was never really sure about his future until he connected with MATC’s program.

“The Gap Year program has really helped me plug into what I liked,” said Daniels, who plans to enroll at MATC for the spring 2027 semester.

Gap Year program participants earn one college credit, complimentary transportation to and from MATC throughout the program, complimentary lunch at every session and a stipend. 

They also get access to MATC recruiters, admissions counselors and career specialists who can help students get into the college, choose a program and succeed, said Brian Weiland, a career development coach at the college’s CareerHub. 

“We can connect you to people who can make these things happen,” he said. “We want to help you lay out that road map.”

On October 22, program participants practiced their networking skills by talking to their fellow classmates. “Learn to be comfortable talking to other people,” Kelly said. “Highlight yourself. This helps you get where you want to go and who you want to be.”

The participants also heard from Ira Smith, lead faculty for the college’s Machine Tool Operations program. He graduated from MATC in 1995 and worked in the field for 30 years.

“I started in this industry when I was 17 years old and I’m still in it today,” Smith said. “In this field, you have value and you add value. You can’t really do anything without a machinist.”

An entry-level position in the field can pay more than $50,000 a year, Smith said. More than three years of experience boosts that to $73,000 per year, while highly skilled machinists creating specialized parts for aerospace and military use can make more than $100,000 per year, he said.

The students toured the college’s computer numerical control (CNC) classrooms; visited Charter Wire, which manufactures wire and metal components used in the automotive, agriculture and construction industries; and frozen food manufacturer Palermo Villa, a Milwaukee-based company led by quite a few MATC alumni, including President Angelo Fallucca and Chief Creative Officer Laurie Fallucca.

Earlier in October, the students learned about culinary and baking careers, touring the kitchen classrooms at MATC and visiting The Trade hotel near Fiserv Forum.

In the program’s first session in September, program participants learned about careers in business and MATC’s Business Management programs. 

Students visited Birdsongs Milwaukee, which sells more than 700 different high-quality scents, lotions, soaps and oils; ConfectionatelyYours; and Gee’s Clippers, a barbershop, wellness clinic and neighborhood gathering spot operated by MATC alumnus Gaulien Smith.

About MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.