Northridge High

The machining shop at Northridge High School received an $18,000 grant this week to help students pursue education and careers in advanced manufacturing.

The award comes from the Gene Haas Foundation, a nonprofit launched in the 1990s to support technical education and inspire the next generation of machinists.

“This makes you feel great,” Haas Factory Outlet Operations Supervisor Natalie Williams said. “If we can get more students interested and get more people into our local shops, keep manufacturing within the United States, I think it's going to be great."

Each year, schools across the country can apply for manufacturing scholarship grants. This year, Northridge was selected to receive $18,000, which will be directed toward scholarships for graduating students and basic toolkits for those pursuing machining and manufacturing careers.

For Northridge machining instructor Kurt Jensen, the award is a game-changer.

“In education, $18,000 is a lot of money,” Jensen said. “This is direct support for my students who are going to be graduating in the next couple of years. They’ll already have the basic skills they need to be employed, plus a little money to help with school and some of the tools they’ll need to get into the trade. It feels amazing.”

Jensen explained that many students who complete his courses can step directly into entry-level machining jobs after high school. From there, they can advance by completing a certificate program at a local technical college such as Davis Tech or Ogden-Weber Tech—usually in about a year and at a relatively low cost.

"And the great thing is, a lot of those companies also offer tuition reimbursement.” Jensen said. “You can have a full-time job with benefits while someone else helps pay for your schooling.”

Both Williams and Jensen emphasized that machining offers strong career opportunities, especially in northern Utah where manufacturing is booming. Local companies in aerospace, defense, medical and other industries are eager to hire skilled workers.

“I could name 10 companies right now that need anywhere from five to 100 machinists in the next year or two,” Jensen said. “Every shop I talk to is hiring.”

For students who may be hesitant to step into the machine shop, both leaders offered encouragement.

“Everything we use today is pretty much made on a CNC machine,” Williams said. “It’s never going to go away—it’s something you’d want to be a part of and help grow.”

Jensen added: “If you like working with your hands and want to understand how the world is actually made, this is the place for you. We take the math you’ve learned and show you how it really applies. At the very least, just come try it.”