2019 Chamber Business of the Year

Mountainland Technical College

Mountainland Technical College, which provides trades and technology educational programs for students in Utah, Summit and Wasatch counties, has been named the 2019 Business of the Year by the Point of the Mountain Chamber of Commerce.

Mountainland Technical College, also known as MTECH, offers more than 50 programs in areas including automotive technology, culinary arts, cosmetology, health care, transportation, manufacturing, computer systems and welding. Its main campus is located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi; it also has campuses in Orem, Provo and Spanish Fork along with satellite campuses in Heber City, Park City, Kamas and Coalville. It is part of the Utah System of Technical Colleges.

MTECH’s mission is “to enhance the employability of individuals through market-driven career and technical education.” The college offers low-cost tuition to adults and there is no tuition for high school students, but they must be at least 16 years old and a junior in high school to apply.

“We’re trying to help people better their lives through education,” said MTECH President Clay Christensen.

MTECH works closely with local businesses to ensure its educational offerings are providing students with the training and skills needed by area companies. Corporate sponsors serve on advisory committees for the college’s programs to provide continuous input on what skills are needed in the workforce and what jobs are available.

Christensen said there is currently a large demand for the trades, adding that MTECH’s apprenticeship programs have doubled in size during the last two to three years.

To help fill the need, MTECH’s new Trades and Technology Building is being constructed next to the college’s Lehi campus. The 89-000-square-foot, two-story building will house nine of MTECH’s trades and technology programs: Automated Manufacturing, Precision Machining, Automotive Technology, Diesel Mechanics, Welding Technology, Digital Media, Mobile Development, Web Programming and Development and Information Technology Technician.

The building is set to open for classes this fall. “We have Sept. 18 scheduled as our ribbon cutting. As of right now, we’re on track for that,” Christensen said.

The new structure is being built bye SIRQ Construction in Lehi. Christensen said the company foresaw that obtaining materials might become difficult as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so it ordered many items in advance and is storing them until needed, keeping the construction project on schedule.

Most of MTECH’s trades programs are currently housed in Orem or Spanish Fork; the new building will bring that training closer to students in the north end of the county.

MTECH provides educational opportunities for local businesses through its Custom Fit program. Based at the Lehi campus, Custom Fit receives funding from the state legislature each year that is used to provide customized training for local businesses. The state funding covers up to 50 percent of the training cost, with businesses paying the remaining amount.

Businesses can contact MTECH and request training in a certain area or on a specific topic and MTECH then finds an instructor, who could be from MTECH’s staff or from a different area of the country. Trainings are also conducted involving multiple businesses at once on topics they are all interested in such as human resources concerns. More information about Custom Fit can be found at mtec.edu/custom-fit/.

MTECH is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. For more information about the college and its programs, visit mtec.edu.