Courtesy ETA
The Gene Haas Foundation recently awarded the local Employment Training for Adults (ETA) Machine Tool Technology program a grant to assist with student tuition and program needs.
ETA is affiliated with the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES. The grant will help people enroll in the Machine Tool Technology program and prepare themselves for a successful career.
Dave Sharpe, local sales engineer with Allendale Machinery, recently presented the check to ETA instructor Jason Viele and Michelle Stockwell, administrator for adult programs.
Allendale Machinery Systems supplies manufacturing solutions for local businesses with a main product provided by Haas Automation, the largest supplier of American-made machine tools in the country. Both Allendale and Haas are big supporters of education.
“If you look around, you won’t see a product that didn’t have a machine tool involved in its creation,” Sharpe said. “For example, your toaster, refrigerator, or furnace all had machine tools making components or tooling. Medical products like the MRIs used in diagnosis are made locally. The list seems endless. The demand is behind the supply for trained people to operate the manufacturing equipment for industry.
“The ETA Machine Tool Technology program has proven itself one of the best in helping its graduates to better their careers as well as the companies they work for.”
The Gene Haas Foundation was established in 1999 by Gene Haas, founder and owner of Haas Automation, Inc.
Seeing a growing need for skilled manufacturing employees industry-wide, the foundation’s mission also includes support for manufacturing training programs throughout North America and beyond. By providing scholarship grants, sponsoring individual and team computer numerical control (CNC competitions) and partnering with the best CNC training programs in the world, the foundation helps expand the availability of high-quality manufacturing technology training worldwide.
Kathy Looman from the Gene Haas Foundation was given the priority of helping schools such as Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES to succeed.
More information about the ETA Machine Tool Technology Program can be found online at www.etaprogram.org/apps/pages/MachineTool.