Fairfax, Virginia – The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), the precision manufacturing industry’s premier standards and certification body, and the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF), which provides scholarships to schools for students entering technical training programs, are partnering to provide scholarship funds directly to the near-future workforce. The scholarships will be given to select SkillsUSA students, who represent some of the nation’s top young talent in precision machining and metalworking.
The 2015 GHF-NIMS SkillsUSA Scholarship Program will award over $200,000 in scholarship funds to students competing in three manufacturing events at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Louisville, Kentucky June 22-26, 2015. Competitors include high school and college students from all 50 states who have won their state-level competitions in CNC technician, CNC milling specialist and CNC turning specialist. Upon their arrival at NLSC, they will receive a $1,000 scholarship award recognizing their success. Medalists at each of the three competitions at each level will receive awards in the following amounts: Gold: $4,000; Silver: $3,000; and Bronze: $2,000.
“Attracting and preparing a high-quality workforce is vital to our nation’s manufacturing economy,” said Peter Zierhut, vice president, Haas Automation. “We must recognize and tap into the talents of the young people who will drive the future of our businesses.”
“These students are the face of our industry,” said Jim Wall, executive director, NIMS. “We are not only proud to support their success, but believe their skills and talents will transform our industry as we continue to innovate and compete in the global marketplace.”
The GHF-NIMS-SkillsUSA Scholarship Program is part of a larger initiative launched by GHF and NIMS to help more students prepare for success in precision manufacturing careers by gaining industry-recognized credentials at high schools and colleges. GHF and NIMS have provided more than $450,000 to schools and students since the program launched in 2014. As a result, more education programs are providing high quality training and more individuals are gaining the skills and credentials they need for success in the workplace.
About NIMS
The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) was formed in 1995 by the metalworking trade associations to develop and maintain a globally competitive American workforce. NIMS sets skills standards for the industry, certifies individual skills against the standards, and accredits training programs that meet NIMS quality requirements.
About the Gene Haas Foundation
The Gene Haas Foundation was formed in 1999 to fund the needs of the local community and other deserving charities, at the discretion of its founder, Mr. Gene Haas. High on the list of priorities of the Gene Haas Foundation is supporting manufacturing education, which encompasses many types of programs that inspire and educate young people about careers in manufacturing. In addition, GHF provides scholarship funding for students to attend colleges that teach machining based skills.
Source: GHF