Students will get more help paying for their manufacturing education and training—on their way to careers in a booming industry.
The Gene Haas Foundation has awarded Front Range Community College $17,500 in grants to support student scholarships and other program needs at the college’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing.
The scholarship funds will help students pay for their classes at FRCC, preparing them to move into jobs in the manufacturing industry. The money will boost the college’s program in precision machining, and will also support the manufacturing industry in Colorado.
The shortage of skilled machinists in the state—and across the US—has reached a critical level, according to FRCC machining faculty member George Deeb. “I get at least three emails a week from local employers who are looking for employees. Every one of our students who wants a job upon completion of the program gets one.”
“Many of our students would not be able to complete this program without these funds,” Deeb added. “This donation makes a huge difference to them. Many of them get jobs with flexible hours before they even complete the program, so they can finish their classes and earn money at the same time.”
On June 23, Chad Wadsworth of MMT Productivity—the local Haas Factory Outlet in Denver—presented a check to FRCC faculty member George Deeb and his students. The Gene Haas Foundation has been providing funding for FRCC’s manufacturing scholarships since 2015. The total amount awarded to the college to date is now $118,500.
“The Gene Haas Scholarship has funded many of our students’ education and has payed for dozens of National Institute for Metalworking Skills credentials,” Deeb said. “These students are now employed with local companies—and they have skills that give them outstanding opportunities for career growth.”
FRCC’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing, located in Longmont, Colorado, is the college’s state-of-the-art home for its four advanced manufacturing programs. Created to meet the evolving needs of next-generation manufacturing technologies, the center provides industry-focused education and hands-on training for modern-day manufacturing workers.
For more information about the programs at FRCC’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing—or on scholarships in advanced manufacturing—contact 303-678-3794 or Nicole.gervace@frontrange.edu.
About the Gene Haas Foundation
The Gene Haas Foundation’s primary goal is to build skills in the manufacturing industry by providing scholarships for CNC machine technology students. The Foundation was established in 1999, by Haas Automation, Inc., Founder and CEO Gene Haas, to support the needs of local communities through grants to local charities such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Food Share, Rescue Mission and others.
Seeing a growing need for skilled manufacturing employees industrywide, the Foundation expanded its mission to include support for manufacturing training programs throughout North America and beyond. By providing scholarship grants, sponsoring individual and team CNC competitions, and partnering with the very best CNC training programs in the world, the Foundation helps expand the availability of high-quality manufacturing technology training worldwide.
The Gene Haas Foundation donates millions of dollars every year to manufacturing education and communities. In 2020, the Gene Haas Foundation provided more than $17 million in grants, bringing the total since inception to more than to $100 million.
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, Brighton, and online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving 138,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities.
