MATC Head Says Education Key For Minorities, Those In Poverty

The head of Madison Area Technical College said education is the key to employment and economic justice for Wisconsin’s low income and minority residents.

Jack E. Daniels was the keynote speaker at the state’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony at the state Capitol in Madison. Daniels cited a state report that found nearly six in 10 minorities in Wisconsin have never enrolled in post-secondary education.

“If we don’t begin to intervene, potential generations will be chronically unemployed, under-employed, and limited to the level of training that is expected by employers,” he said.

Daniels said the state’s technical colleges have a role to play in educating students who might have had trouble succeeding in other educational settings.

He said the state and local communities need to find ways to make it easier for people who want to attend a technical college to do so.