Wenatchee Valley College Machining Program Awarded Gene Haas Grant

Wenatchee Valley College announced Tuesday that its machining program received a $10,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation.

Machining Faculty Micky Jennings said the grant allows students to be able to purchase quality tools, like a $100 pair of calipers instead of a cheap $10 pair.

"So we're talking about a huge difference in quality range and also in the accuracy that these students are able to obtain with these tools." Jennings said, "It's very important for students starting out to be able to get good, accurate measurement with their tooling."

The grant also helps send students to state and national Skills USA conferences. In the past two years, the grant has purchased $18,000 worth of personal tools for 14 students and has provided $2,000 for Skills USA students.

Gene Hass started his foundation in 1999 with the goal of building skills in the machining industry by providing scholarships.