MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Manhattan Area Technical College unveiled its new Electrical Learning Lab on Tuesday afternoon for its students.
Manhattan Tech hosted a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 15 for the new facility, giving electrical technology program students a larger space to practice the skills they may use in the workforce. According to the college, Schultz Construction and Mead Lumber helped build and support the new two-story structure designed to provide hands-on residential and commercial electrical training for students.
David Umanzor, Manhattan Tech’s director of workforce innovation and partnerships, said the lab provides a more realistic training environment than many traditional electrical classrooms.
“In a lot of electrical programs, they have smaller units,” Umanzor said. “It’s very controlled areas.”
Instead of working on a single wall panel, learners can train throughout an entire building, including wiring across multiple floors. Umanzor said that the experience allows them to apply classroom lessons and electrical codes in a real-world setting.
“It’s one thing to know it, but it’s another thing to know that you know it,” Umanzor said. “When they can walk away with confidence and show up to the field ready to work, that’s going to give them the confidence to be able to do well and to do their job with excellence.”
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College leaders said that confidence is important as demand for skilled trade workers continue across the region. Manhattan Tech President and CEO James Genandt said more experienced workers are retiring than entering the workforce, creating a need for new electricians.
“There are simply more workers retiring with that experience than are going into the pipeline,” Genandt said.
Genandt said interest in the program has been strong. According to the college, enrollment filled within three days of opening. The program is designed to prepare learners to earn electrician credentials and begin working with employers while gaining experience in the field.
For Jadiah Eustaquio, the program was a natural fit.
“I have a family member who’s actually an electrician, and after being with them or being around them a lot and helping them with like certain stuff on the side, I kind of just grew like a liking for it,” Eustaquio said.
The new facility can give learners room to practice those skills in a setting that more closely resembles the buildings they may encounter on the job.
“I think it’s just going to provide us the opportunity to be able to hone those skills,” program student Blake Audiss said.
For more information about the Manhattan Tech Electrical Technology program, you can click here.
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