05/08/2025—
Michigan Technological University is proud to announce a new partnership with the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) program to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.
This partnership will provide hands-on and online workforce training designed to strengthen the casting, forging, and machining industries.
As METAL’s newest hub operator, Michigan Tech will deliver METAL’s nationally recognized curriculum, facilitate instructor certification, and launch boot camps and academic pathways tailored to current and future metalworking professionals. MTU will also integrate METAL training into its Summer Youth Programs to offer an immersive introduction to metalworking, metallurgy and materials science to high school students from across the Upper Midwest.
“This partnership builds on Michigan Tech’s deep roots in materials science and engineering, as well as its strategic location in the Upper Midwest, a region vital to the U.S. manufacturing base,” said Lucinda Curry, METAL national workforce manager at IACMI. “Michigan Tech is an ideal partner for this mission, and we’re excited to work together to provide valuable metallurgical training in the manufacturing heartland.”
The Michigan Tech hub will implement a stacked curriculum model, which combines interactive online learning with immersive in-person casting and forging boot camps at MTU’s state-of-the-art labs. Future educational modules will incorporate training on automation in casting and forging, and will open pathways to employment in critical industry roles.
“Michigan Tech is proud to be part of METAL’s mission to revitalize and future-proof the American manufacturing workforce,” said Alexandra Glover, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Michigan Tech. “By leveraging our longstanding educational programs focused on metallurgical engineering and strong industry partnerships, we are preparing students with both the foundational and advanced skills needed to thrive in the evolving industrial landscape.”
MTU joins a growing consortium of METAL hubs, including the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Together, these institutions are driving a nationwide resurgence in metallurgical and manufacturing excellence by expanding access to high-quality, industry-relevant training.
About METAL
Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL), led by IACMI,
is a national initiative that provides industry-aligned training in casting, forging,
machining, and metallurgical processes. With a focus on automation and advanced manufacturing,
METAL aims to create a skilled, adaptable workforce prepared to meet both commercial
and defense manufacturing demands.
About IACMI
IACMI – The Composites Institute® is a national public-private partnership focused
on advancing composite materials and process technologies. Supported by the U.S. Department
of Energy and the Department of Defense, IACMI brings together over 170 members from
industry, academia, and government to drive manufacturing innovation and workforce
development.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.