Gene Haas Foundation awards $27,000 to SkillsUSA Machining Championship Awards program

March 5, 2012

The Gene Haas Foundation, Oxnard, Calif., has awarded a $27,000 grant to the SME Education Foundation, Dearborn, Mich., for the development of a new SkillsUSA Machining Championship Award program.

Peter Zierhut of the Gene Haas Foundation said, "We are looking for employees with specific skill sets, and very often a rare combination of skill sets. Students competing at the SkillsUSA Championship this summer will be using our advanced manufacturing equipment, be monitored and judged by engineers, learn from their peers, and meet future employers. The industry needs to spend more time directing young people while they’re still in school where we can make a difference."

The 48th SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), including the SkillsUSA Championships, a showcase of career and technical education students, returns to Kansas City, Mo., June 23-27, 2012.

Winners from SkillsUSA state competitions in high schools and postsecondary schools will compete against each other and the clock to create manufactured parts using manual turning, manual lathe, CNC turning, and CNC milling.

Thirty-six Haas CNC simulators will be used for the CNC contests, along with a Haas TM 1P toolroom mill and a Haas TL 1 toolroom lathe.