The MiLL generates a rising enrollment

The MiLL National Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., has had a sharp rise in enrollment during its first five years of operation.

“We first started tracking attendance numbers back in 2018, and we have gone from essentially 60 kids on site to 422 for the 2022/2023 school year. On the cabinet manufacturing side, we have over 200 students alone this year,” says Nikki Carter, Career and Technical Education Director for the Widefield School District 3.

The MiLL, an acronym for the Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab, opened in the fall of 2017 as a partnership between the local Widefield and Peyton school districts. It was founded by educator Dean Mattson, who developed a similar program in Oregon, with the support of superintendents Scott Campbell (Widefield) and Tim Kistler (Peyton).

The MiLL offers Cabinet Manufacturing, Construction Technology, and Welding Technology programs at its 45,000-sq.-ft. facility. Students in Cabinet Manufacturing build cabinets in the first year, then learn additional skills, such as electrical and plumbing. Once they’ve completed two years in the program, they have an opportunity to earn an industry-recognized certification from the Woodwork Career Alliance.

The MiLL strives to keep its programs relevant to the current job markets. It also has the support of over 60 worldwide partners connected to wood manufacturing. Both have been major factors in the MiLL’s success, according to Carter.

“Definitely enrollment is up and a lot of that has to do with not only the partnerships and the validity students see with industry, but I think it’s also making sure they get the big picture of the next step for them,” she says. “[We’re] not only giving them the skills but helping them transition to the next level.”

The MiLL is investigating ways to share its education model, according to Shane Skalla, director of Widefield’s Innovation and Alternative Education program.

“We are working closely with the National Woods Board, which is a nonprofit organization put together to help take the MiLL model that we’ve created and transplant that model in other locations throughout the United States,” says Skalla. “We’re also working on a curriculum that schools across the nation will be able to utilize. The mission is to promote this model in other regions throughout the U.S.”

For more, visit mill.wsd3.org.  

This article was originally published in the March 2023 issue.