The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) program has announced a new partnership with Michigan Technological University (MTU) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals.
Led by IACMI-The Composites Institute with funding from the Department of Defense's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling. This partnership will provide hands-on and online workforce training designed to strengthen the casting, forging and machining industries.
As METAL's newest hub operator, MTU will deliver METAL's nationally recognized curriculum, facilitate instructor certification and launch boot camps and academic pathways tailored to current and future metalworking professionals. MTU will also integrate METAL training into its Summer Youth Programs to offer an immersive introduction to metalworking, metallurgy and materials science to high school students from across the Upper Midwest.
"This partnership builds on Michigan Tech's deep roots in materials science and engineering, as well as its strategic location in the Upper Midwest, a region vital to the U.S. manufacturing base," said Lucinda Curry, METAL National Workforce Manager at IACMI. "Michigan Tech is an ideal partner for this mission, and we are excited to work together to provide valuable metallurgical training in the manufacturing heartland."
The MTU hub will implement a stacked curriculum model, which combines interactive online learning with immersive in-person casting and forging boot camps at MTU's state-of-the-art labs. Future educational modules will incorporate training on automation in casting and forging and will open pathways to employment in critical industry roles.
"MTU is proud to be part of METAL's mission to revitalize and future-proof the American manufacturing workforce," said Alexandra Glover, Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at MTU. "By leveraging our longstanding educational programs focused on metallurgical engineering and strong industry partnerships, we are preparing students with the foundational and advanced skills needed to thrive in the evolving industrial landscape."
MTU joins a growing consortium of METAL hubs, including University of Alabama in Birmingham, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Together, these institutions are driving a nationwide resurgence in metallurgical and manufacturing excellence by expanding access to high-quality, industry-relevant training.
For more information contact:
METAL
IACMI
2730 Cherokee Farm Way, Ste. 207
Knoxville, TN 37920
info@iacmi.org
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Dr.
Houghton, MI 49931
888-688-1885
mtu4u@mtu.edu