With technical colleges serving as the front line for breaking generational poverty, one question rises to the surface: how do we design education that truly creates economic mobility?

In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, host Matt Kirchner digs into that question with Dr. Anthony Cruz, President of Milwaukee Area Technical College — the largest nonprofit technical college in the country and one of the most diverse institutions in the Midwest.

Dr. Cruz brings a compelling mix of lived experience and visionary leadership: a first-generation college graduate whose parents worked in factories, now leading a college that serves 31,000 students a year and sits at the epicenter of Milwaukee’s economic and social challenges. From meeting students where they are to engineering economic mobility, Dr. Cruz lays out the blueprint for how technical colleges can change the trajectory of entire families.

From breaking cycles of generational poverty to preparing students for an AI-driven workforce, this conversation explores what’s required from technical colleges today, and why their role has never been more vital.

Listen to learn:

• How technical colleges serve as engines of economic mobility
• Why student support must go far beyond academics
• How to nurture grit in students who have never seen success modeled around them
• What AI disruption means for technical college programs
• Why urban technical colleges face unique challenges — and unique opportunities

Big Takeaways

1. Technical colleges are uniquely positioned to break generational poverty.

MATC sees itself as an “engine of economic mobility,” serving students who often arrive without the financial resources or social capital others take for granted.

Layered support — scholarships, retention coaches, food pantries, advising — helps remove barriers so students can persist and earn family-sustaining wages.

2. Student success requires developing grit, not just academic skill.

Cruz emphasizes that grit is innate but must be nurtured. Many students have never seen examples of success around them, so MATC focuses on helping them build resilience semester after semester until they launch into the workforce.

3. The future of technical education demands agility — especially with AI.

AI is reshaping jobs faster than curriculum cycles. MATC is equipping faculty to use AI tools now, while building flexible programs that can adapt quickly to emerging technologies rather than waiting years for revisions.

Resources

• Milwaukee Area Technical College
• MATC Promise Program
• Checota Scholars Program

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