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She added there may be some
misconceptions in the public
about the quality of the educa-
tion received in such abbreviated
programs. “Our programs are
very intense. Beside the class-
room work and the hands-on
training they receive right here
on campus, they will have several
hours worth of homework. We
cover quite a lot of material in a
one-week period,” she said.
Another factor attractive to
employers is that MTI will work
with students on their soft skills,
with the ability to communicate
with others chief among them.
“
Our instructors get to know the
students very well in a short pe-
riod of time and they can rate the
students in their soft skills. We
will tutor them to improve those
skills where necessary,” she said.
Since May 1999, McGehee said,
MTI has been accredited through
the Accrediting Commission of
Career Schools and Colleges. “We
have to uphold those standards
in everything we do here and it
is very rigorous. But we do so
gladly because we take a lot of
pride in what we do here. We’re
here for the long haul,” McGehee
said.
The long haul will include
keeping abreast of workforce
trends. Locally, for example,
“
Health care jobs are always go-
ing to be there. There is always
going to be a need for workers in
that industry. But we stay on top
of the changes in the jobs them-
selves and we will make sure our
students are trained for the jobs
as they change in the future,” she
said.
McGehee said programs may
be added in the future. “We al-
ways try to adapt to the needs of
the community,” she said.
Welding was the first class
taught at Midwest Technical
Institute and it remains one of
the chief courses there today.
