This comes after the college was awarded a £500,000 grant from the US-based Gene Haas Foundation through its pioneering partnership with the global engineering powerhouse.
The landmark investment has funded a comprehensive remodelling of the college’s engineering centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
The result is a transformed learning environment housing state-of-the-art areas dedicated to manufacturing, automation and robotics – bringing new opportunities to students, apprentices and employers alike.
As the nation’s first institution to receive support from the Gene Haas Foundation, the college is part of a select global group of educational institutions recognised for excellence in manufacturing training.
This places it among an elite network of schools and colleges, primarily across the US and Canada, to partner with the charitable organisation founded by Gene Haas, the entrepreneur behind Haas Automation – North America’s largest CNC machine tool manufacturer – and the Haas F1 Team in Formula One.
The college became the UK’s inaugural Gene Haas Centre in 2023 and it remains one of just three institutions nationwide to hold this distinguished designation, reinforcing its position as a leader in advanced manufacturing education and a vital contributor to tackling regional skills shortages.
Its newly-revamped engineering campus – now renamed the Gene Haas Centre for Advanced Manufacturing – features significantly expanded floor space equipped with traditional and industry-leading technology, where the next generation of engineers hone their skills.
Space was created by re-locating automotive training workshops in the centre to its neighbouring Station Park campus.
By redesigning its engineering facility, the college has been able to invest in a new suite of advanced machinery and tools – purchased through other funding sources – including a CNC machining centre with ABB robot arm, CNC lathes, milling machines, CNC mini mills, and a CNC lathe with Fanuc robot arm.
These complement an already extensive range of tools and systems across the building, including centre lathes, milling machines, pillar drills, a laser cutter, industrial robots, single arm and double arm collaborative robots, hydraulic and pneumatic training rigs, 3D printer, CAD/CAM computer suites, robotic welding machine, and a virtual welding system.
This expansion of capacity, curriculum and cutting-edge equipment forms part of a wider collaboration between the college and its partners across the public and private sectors to help businesses embrace emerging technologies, increase competitiveness, explore new markets and compete globally.
It also strengthens the college’s ties with Haas and its UK client base, enhancing its ability to deliver highly-skilled, well-paid and progressive job opportunities for local people.
The partnership with Haas is enabling the college to expand its engineering facilities and strengthen its employer-focused curriculum, with the goal of increasing the pipeline of skilled manufacturers both locally and beyond.
A key initiative was the launch of the Haas CNC Academy, which recently welcomed its first cohort of engineering learners from a variety of levels. Students voluntarily attended sessions in their own time to explore CNC engineering, learning how to upload programmes, efficiently set-up machines and produce components. Each participant also received a personal toolbox to support their future career in the sector. So far, more 40 students have completed the five-week programme.
The college’s engineering centre, on Oddicroft Lane, sits within the emerging £100 million Ashfield Innovation Technology Park – a hub bringing together strategic partners including Ashfield District Council, Nottingham Trent University plus local and national employers to create a comprehensive support and skills offer for technical industries.
Centrepiece of the technology park will be the Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre (ADMC) – Ashfield’s £44 million Towns Fund flagship project being created as a national centre of excellence for automation, due to open in 2026.
The Gene Haas Centre for Advanced Manufacturing was formally unveiled on Thursday 3 July 2025, at an event attended by college leaders, governors, students, apprentices, local dignitaries, employers and representatives from Haas Automation UK.
Special guests Kathy Looman, executive director of the Gene Haas Foundation, and Professor Veronica Pickering, Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, joined tours, CNC demonstrations, speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Andrew Cropley MBE, principal and chief executive of West Nottinghamshire College, said: “We are honoured to officially open the UK’s first Gene Haas Centre for Advanced Manufacturing. That the world’s third-largest machine tool manufacturer has put its faith in us to carry its name is a tremendous endorsement of our staff, students and ambition.
“Since forming this partnership with Haas two years ago, we’ve reshaped our engineering facilities to better meet employer needs and align our curriculum with future developments, most notably the ADMC opening next year.
“This collaboration helps to inspire the next generation of engineers and signals to local businesses that our region is ready for investment and innovation.”
Mr Cropley also praised the centre’s potential to attract young people to engineering through its association with the Haas Formula One brand, while boosting employer confidence in the region’s workforce.
He added: “Businesses should see this as yet another sign that they can feel ambitious to grow, and be assured there is a skilled workforce ready to join them. I hope that employers considering investing in new plant will see Mansfield and Ashfield as great places to make that investment.
“Congratulations to our exceptional engineering team, whose skill, ambition and determination has helped make this possible – and sincere thanks to the Gene Haas Foundation for their vision and support.”
Kathy Looman, of the Gene Haas Foundation, said: “One of the missions of the Foundation is to support the best manufacturing training programmes in the world that are preparing to grow and need more space. We look very carefully to find those whose values, goals and passion align with ours.
“We chose West Nottinghamshire College because Andrew Ward, director of Haas Automation UK, immediately recommended it – and when I spoke with staff about their programmes, I completely agreed. Talking to Andrew Cropley and the rest of the team, it was clear everyone shared the same vision and passion.
“And here we are, two years after announcing the partnership, now officially opening the very first Gene Haas Centre in the UK.
“It has been wonderful to meet students at various stages in their education and careers, and hear about what they’re learning.
“These students have their whole futures ahead of them and just need that encouragement from their teachers, or from people who’ve succeeded in manufacturing like Gene Haas has.
“Manufacturing is the foundation of everything we touch, use and rely on every day – and that’s why we need skilled people to keep it strong.”
Beyond financing the centre’s overhaul, the Foundation offers annual grants to support student scholarships and enrichment opportunities, including skills-based engineering competitions. Its funding also contributes to teacher development, the expansion of adult learning programmes, and the recruitment of additional staff to support a wider range of courses.
Benjamin Toule, head of engineering at the college, said: “This partnership with Haas is a major accolade. It reflects our commitment to innovation, industry growth and training the skilled engineers of tomorrow.
“Building on our existing facilities, the investment has enabled us to develop an inspiring, cutting-edge campus with expert staff and the tools needed to prepare students for long and successful careers in the engineering sector.
“Already, the momentum created by this partnership has helped us deliver successful boot camps in rail engineering, enhance our welding skills offer for adults, and create a new panel-wiring course in partnership with local firm AF Switchgear, with more exciting developments to follow.”
As a Gene Haas Centre, the college delivers training programmes that equip students with practical experience across manual lathe and milling, full-scale CNC operation, electrical and electronic engineering, additive manufacturing, electro-pneumatics, robotics, PLC systems, and advanced fabrication and welding.
Its engineering curriculum is shaped in close collaboration with local and regional employers, many of whom sit on its advisory panel.
The college offers a comprehensive range of engineering qualifications, with full-time courses from beginner to advanced levels. These include two T-Level pathways that feature 45-day industry placements with employers. In addition, it provides a broad apprenticeship programme at Levels 2 and 3, covering roles such as operatives, fitters, technicians and fabricators. A Level 4 higher apprenticeship in engineering and manufacturing is also available.
Established in 1999, the Gene Haas Foundation initially supported community charities before expanding its mission in 2014 to include support for manufacturing training across North America. In 2018, it extended into Europe.
Today, the Foundation supports students through scholarships, CNC competition sponsorships, and partnerships with leading CNC training programmes – ensuring a global pipeline of skilled manufacturing talent.