Futuremaker Partner Award presented to We Energies for providing training, tackling workforce challenges and recognizing the career connectivity between technical colleges and employers
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board recognized We Energies with the Futuremaker Partner Award.
Established in 2009, the Futuremaker Partner Award is a prestigious honor presented four times a year by the WTCS Board to recognize local businesses and organizations that build long-standing partnerships with Wisconsin technical colleges.
“The Wisconsin Technical College System Board is pleased to honor We Energies with the Futuremaker Partner Award for its outstanding collaboration with Milwaukee Area Technical College,” WTCS Interim Board President Lindsay Blumer said.
“By supporting MATC’s Electrical Power Distribution training facility, We Energies is providing students with real-world training and career-ready skills while strengthening Wisconsin’s energy workforce. This partnership exemplifies the spirit of the Futuremaker Partner Award.”
WTCS President Layla Merrifield and MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz presented the award during the September 1 WTCS Board meeting, held at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
We Energies supports MATC and education in the Milwaukee region through hands-on high school internships, career exploration programs, funding, and hiring apprentices and graduates.
“We’re proud to partner with MATC to help the next generation build the skills they need for family-supporting careers,” said Michelle Benishek, vice president of field and system operations at We Energies. “This recognition reflects the power of working together — connecting students with hands-on training, opening doors to opportunity and helping build the skilled workforce Wisconsin needs.”
“We Energies is an outstanding partner in education and job training,” Dr. Cruz said. “They support MATC students with career exploration programs, scholarship support, career exploration for high school students, apprenticeships, training and employment opportunities. Together we are offering solutions to address our region’s workforce shortages and breaking down barriers that stand between students and an education that leads to economic mobility. We are honored to recognize We Energies with the Futuremaker Award.”
Key Partnership Highlights
● Comprehensive Support: Since 1996, We Energies has supported MATC through foundation funding, high school internships, career exploration and apprentice hiring.
● Dual Enrollment: Since 2019, high school students have taken dual enrollment courses at MATC, earning college credit and being exposed to various careers, including natural gas design, engineering and line mechanic. While taking college classes some students received industry-specific training alongside We Energies’ registered apprentices.
● Expanded Training: In 2023, the partners expanded MATC’s Electrical Power Distribution program by establishing a new training facility in Milwaukee’s Metcalfe Park neighborhood. The expansion gave students a convenient location to train alongside We Energies staff.
● Community Engagement: In April 2026, We Energies hosted a Community Day for residents to inform them about class and career opportunities.
● Financial Aid: We Energies has pledged over $200,000 to MATC’s Checota scholarship programs, which help students in trade and technical programs enter the workforce faster.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year
institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern
Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More
than 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites
or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities
that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180
academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and
others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year
colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in
southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
