Arizona Tribune - WyoTech Celebrates 60 Years of Training Technicians for the U.S. Workforce

LARAMIE, WY / ACCESS Newswire / April 14, 2026 / WyoTech, a leading U.S. automotive, diesel, welding, and collision trade school based in Wyoming, is celebrating its 60^th year of training the technicians that keep the country's cars and trucks on the road - and a dramatic turnaround that has prompted the motto "America's Destination Trade School."

Founded in 1966, WyoTech has overcome economic and ownership challenges over the decades, but now is arguably at its all-time peak. WyoTech now is nearing enrollment capacity with its current footprint, just shy of 1,200 students - up from a mere dozen when a group led by Jim Mathis, a WyoTech alumnus and former president, purchased the school in 2018.

Over the next eight years, Mathis and the WyoTech team increased enrollment by some 9,000 percent. In November 2022, to accommodate the growing student population, WyoTech opened a new $16 million, 90,000-square-foot expansion to its campus in Laramie.

Under new Campus President Kyle Morris, who took the day-to-day operations from Mathis in 2023, WyoTech also has begun to broaden its reach. In late 2023, WyoTech announced the launch of a new Applied Welding Technology program, and in February 2026, it announced the purchase of a new building that would allow it to double the size of the welding program.

Throughout the expansion, WyoTech has maintained its commitment to quality. In 2025, WyoTech was recognized by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges as a 2024-2025 School of Excellence. The school's overall graduation rate improved from 78% in 2018 (average of all programs) to 82% in 2025 (average of all programs) - outpacing the average graduation rate of public and private two-year and four-year colleges - and 80% (average of all programs) have jobs at graduation.

WyoTech has trained more than 65,000 technicians since 1966, and now its goal is to reach 10,000 enrolled students in the coming 10 years, according to Vice President of Training Shawn Nunley. The reason is industry demand for skilled technicians with both proper training and a work ethic.

Mathis recalled giving a tour of WyoTech's facility to representatives from a major U.S. company with nearly 25,000 employees "They want 100 students a year out of WyoTech. You do not see this at other schools. The head HR person said, 'This does my heart more good than anything to see students on task, enjoying their training. They have a purpose in life. They're engaged.'"

Mathis joined WyoTech as a student in 1976 and became an instructor after graduation, starting a 26-year career. "I had amazing teachers, something I didn't think I had in high school, but I got it into my head that I wanted to teach. So, I begged my way into teaching as a 19-year-old. And then my career started off as a teacher, assistant training director, and then training director for several years."

He left the school after it was purchased by a national for-profit college in 2002, returning in 2018 when he learned the school might be in jeopardy. He became president of the new WyoTech and directed the school until 2023, when he decided to step back from everyday operations - and appointed as its new president the WyoTech officer who had lured him back.

"Kyle Morris was a fierce advocate for keeping WyoTech open before its most recent threat of closure in 2018, leading the staff and community in a fight that ultimately brought me in to support the relaunch of this great institution," Mathis said in his 2023 announcement.

"I have no doubt Kyle will continue to lead WyoTech's day-to-day operations with excellence like he has in his long tenure at WyoTech," Mathis said.

Over two decades, Morris had served in roles including director of student services, director of student success, interim director of education, director of operations, and vice president of operations and finance.

Morris said he is grateful for the opportunity to work with Mathis and many of the WyoTech presidents over the years, learning about leadership and gaining an understanding of different perspectives. "I feel very blessed that all of those people I had a chance to work with closely and learn different things from. I had the chance to work very closely with Jim, learn the value of a visionary like Jim, and the value of a decision-maker like Jim."

WyoTech leaders say the school has a unique effect on its students and its staff. John Hurd, Sacramento campus president from 2006 to 2011, is another student who became part of WyoTech. "I had so much fun in class. I loved it. I loved the experience, and I excelled at it. You couldn't pry me out of there at the time," he said. "Two years later, I started teaching full-time. So that was my pathway that started in 1993. It just grew and blossomed all the way through teaching."

Now, as the school approaches the milestone anniversary, Mathis sees his legacy as "the success of WyoTech and our students and our employees. We want it to be the number-one school out there because of the employees, how we train students, and our vision and high standards. Our future looks very bright."

In an interview, Morris looked back with pride at his two decades at WyoTech - and looked ahead to that bright future.

When he arrived, Morris said he knew little about the trades. But as he visited WyoTech's shops and labs, he was immediately impressed with the school, its mission and its students' dedication to learning skills for a career.

"I fell in love with the students, I fell in love with the co-workers, I fell in love with the outcomes and the programs," he said. "That's why I've been at WyoTech for so long. I've seen that journey in so many different ways. I've seen it pay off in so many different ways. It's humbling to be the one who is tasked with leading WyoTech in year 60."

About WyoTech

WyoTech is America's Destination Trade School, providing hands-on training for students pursuing careers in the skilled trades. Located in Laramie, Wyoming, WyoTech offers accelerated programs designed to prepare students for careers in automotive, diesel, collision and refinishing, and welding. With an eight-hour, 15-minute training day and industry-driven curriculum, students gain more practical experience in less time - allowing them to graduate quickly and enter the workforce. WyoTech is committed to craftsmanship, work ethic, and preparing the next generation of skilled professionals who keep America moving

Media Contact:
Ashley Chitwood
800-521-7158
[email protected]

SOURCE: WyoTech

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

L.Adams--AT