NORFOLK, NE – A program in the Applied Technology Division at Northeast Community College has received a large gift to support students who desire to pursue a career in the manufacturing sector.
Representatives of the Gene Haas Foundation presented a check for $10,000 towards scholarships for students enrolled in the College’s Machining and Manufacturing Automation program.
Haas Automation, Inc., is the largest tool manufacturer in the United States. Founded by entrepreneur Gene Haas, the company designs and manufactures precision machine tools and specialized accessory tooling, mostly computer numerically controlled (CNC), such as vertical machining centers and horizontal machining centers, lathes/turning centers, and rotary tables and indexers. The Northeast Machining and Manufacturing Lab contains a number of Haas CNC machines.
Productivity Inc. is a supplier of Haas equipment. In presenting the check, the company’s Tom Marick said the funds are to assist Northeast as it trains the next generation of America’s manufacturing workforce.
“This is part of the Haas Foundation’s mission to help fill the nation’s manufacturing employment skills gap, which is getting bigger and bigger. With anywhere from 20-to-50 job opportunities for each of these students in this field, this type of funding can greatly assist students, both male and female, get started in a program like this.”
Machining and Manufacturing Automation Instructor Steve Wagner, who applied for the Haas funding, said it will provide scholarships to manufacturing education students.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Northeast to be able to have this injection of funds to help new students who have creative minds and who have a ‘maker’ mentality be able to access a manufacturing education. We are grateful to the Haas Foundation.”
Wagner said Northeast Community College is doing its part to address the increasing need for highly skilled technical careers through its program that focuses on training and providing the skills necessary to students so they can become CNC programmers and operators, machinists, and robotics and quality technicians, among others.
This is the second consecutive year the Gene Haas Foundation has presented a $10,000 check to the Northeast program.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Students and their instructor in the Northeast Community College Machining and Manufacturing Automation program accept a $10,000 check from representatives of Productivity, Inc., on behalf of the Gene Haas Foundation recently. The funds are to be used to provide scholarships to students enrolled in the program. Pictured (from left) are students Justin Charron, Norfolk, and Phillip Watermann, West Point, Tom Marick, Productivity, Inc., Steve Wagner, Northeast instructor, Bob Jaster, Productivity Inc., and students Joe Walsh, Ravenna, and Zach Wais, Columbus.