Gateway Technical College announced that the Gene Haas Foundation has contributed $40,000 to the college and its foundation to support student scholarships and career-related competitions.

Of that amount, $37,500 will fund 15 scholarships of $2,500 each for students in Gateway’s Computer Numerical Control (CNC) or Tool and Die programs. The remaining $2,500 will be used to support Gateway students competing in the Skills USA competition.

The contributions are an illustration of the continued commitment Haas has made toward education and training the next generation of metalwork manufacturing workers. In the past five years, the Gene Haas Foundation has awarded more than $65 million to educational institutions and organizations that have introduced students to manufacturing careers.

“We are so very grateful for the Gene Haas Foundation’s investment in education and that they chose to invest in Wisconsin and the Gateway Technical College Foundation,” said Jennifer Charpentier, Gateway Technical College Foundation executive director. “We are working closely with the faculty to design the scholarship offering which will support students in reaching their career and educational goals.”

The Gene Haas Foundation’s primary goal is to partner with schools, colleges and student manufacturing-focused organizations with a goal of building skills in the machining industry. It does this by providing scholarships for CNC machine and related engineering technology students and National Institute for Metalworking Skills credentials.

The donation was announced during the Haas Technical Educators Conference hosted by Gateway at its SC Johnson iMET Center in Sturtevant.

“It’s prestigious to be able to host this conference,” said Richard Shouse, Gateway CNC instructor and chairman of the college’s Manufacturing, Engineering and Information Technology Division.

Shouse said the conference allowed college leaders to interact with high school technical education teachers and administrators, giving them a chance to network and work on ways to provide CNC and related education. More than 60 attended the event.

“We were able to meet all of our high school educational partners, show them our facility and collaborate on new and innovative ideas,” said Shouse. “It helps the educational community, in general, to train the future workforce.”

Shouse said he appreciated the contributions made by Haas, calling the scholarships “life-changing” for students, helping them to graduate and enter a very in-demand career field.