Manhattan Area Technical College prepares for lab industry demand

Manhattan Area Technical College procured $366,000 from the city of Manhattan to accommodate the emerging need for laboratory technicians and other workers with lab skills.

Rob Edleston, president of the technical college, said the school separated from the Manhattan School District in July 2004.

He said the college has been a standalone institution for the last six years, and its enrollment has increased 119 percent since separating.

"We are an accredited college, just like K-State," Edleston said. "The community and technical colleges have a very important role in preparing the workforce for a huge number of careers. Credit hours are only $77 and after only being in school for a year or two and then making anywhere between $30,000 to $70,000, it makes it a great investment."

The technical college is looking to expand in the area of allied health to meet the coming demands of the industry.

The allied health area, which is one of three areas of emphasis at the technical college, includes training in practical nursing, registered nursing, dental hygiene and medical lab and surgical technology.

The college also concentrates on business and computers and trades and industry.

An Economic Incentives Application presented by the technical college to the city of Manhattan points out the promising employment outlook for workers who are trained in lab skills.

The presentation estimates 20 to 40 additional companies will relocate to the area because of Manhattan's successful bid for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and its corresponding "magnet effect."

According to the presentation, developing and implementing new training programs will be a lengthy process that the technical college could prepare for now.

The city decided to provide financial backing for expansion.

"We procured $366,000 as a stop-gap from the city," Edleston said. "We have a temporary measure to accommodate growth mostly in areas of sciences, lab science and biotech.

"With the money, we purchased three modular buildings from Chapman School District. We will be transporting those buildings to campus and setting those up for classrooms and labs."

The new buildings are scheduled to be transported January 2011.

Part of the $366,000 will be allotted for upgrades to other parts of the facility. $75,000 will be spent on expanding parking lots.

The loan from the city is a forgivable loan, which means if the technical college reaches certain goals designated from the city, it will not have to repay the loan. This makes for a great investment on Manhattan's part, Edleston said.

However, the technical college has much higher goals than just $366,000.

Because Manhattan Area Technical College prepares future workers for a high-need field of employment, it is in the process of seeking capital funds to construct a health and science center on its campus.

An estimated $15 million would be needed to construct a state-of-the-art facility that would include multiple learning spaces and real-time laboratory and health facility simulators that would allow students to experience actual working conditions in a variety of settings and disciplines, according to the economics incentives presentation.

"We are looking to build a 50,000-square foot building for health and sciences, which would provide hands-on experience in the lab," Edleston said. "It would be similar to Biosecurity Research Institute at Pat Roberts Hall at K-State.

"It will be a lab teaching facility to accommodate scientists to agro- and biotechnology and allow us to have a new degree that is ‘applied and advanced lab techniques program,' which is a one-of-a-kind type of program in the state."

The technical college has been working with senators Brownback and Moran to help fund the building.

The Manhattan Area Technical College vowed to the Department of Homeland Security to produce career opportunities for laboratory technicians and other technician-level workers to support scientists and other graduate-level professionals.