Mid-State’s Machine Tool Technician Students Benefit from Grant
For the City Times
Bill Dymond, general manager of the Haas Factory Outlet in Brookfield, Wisconsin, visited Mid-State Technical College’s Wisconsin Rapids campus on Dec. 16 to present a $15,000 Gene Haas Foundation grant to Mid-State’s Foundation.
This marks the second consecutive year Mid-State was awarded the grant, which is directed to post-secondary programs that teach computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine technology. The money will be used to fund special student activities designed to enhance the hands-on training in the college’s Machine Tool Technician program, impacting close to 30 students.
“This grant helps fund the registration and travel expenses to send our Machine Tool Technician students to some important industry events, including SKillsUSA® competitions and the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago,” said Mike Berry, machine tool instructor at Mid-State. “We’re grateful for this opportunity to expose our students to these out-in-the-world experiences that help them see the full potential of the machine trades and ignite a passion for where this career can take them.”
Started in 1983 by Gene Haas, Haas Automation is now America’s leading builder of machine tools and a billion-dollar company. In 1999 Gene Haas founded the Gene Haas Foundation to provide scholarships and grants to combat the perception that United States doesn’t manufacture anything anymore. To date, more than 1,500 organizations and schools have received funds totaling over 34 million dollars from the Gene Haas Foundation.
“Over the next decade, we anticipate a huge increase in the demand for skilled technicians in manufacturing as nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled, with potentially two million of those jobs going unfilled due to a skills gap in the labor force,” said Mark MacVicar, president of the Brookfield Gene Haas Factory Outlet. “The Gene Haas Grant is working to ensure that colleges like Mid-State are supported in their mission to help meet the demand for skilled machinists.”
