Helena College gets Boeing, Haas support for advanced machining training

Helena College students are now training on a brand-new CNC machine and a collaborative robot, a shop-floor upgrade backed by Boeing and Haas Automation that is designed to move Helena learners closer to real manufacturing jobs before they graduate.

For Preston Whaley, the value is simple: practice on the same kind of equipment used in industry before walking into a first job. For Paul Nicholson, the college’s machining instructor, the new setup gives students modern skills in a field where employers are still short on people who can run the equipment safely.

The April 23 announcement builds on a longer push by Helena College to tie its CNC program directly to Montana manufacturing needs. In February 2023, the college said it would be the first institution in Montana to offer Haas-certified credentials. Nicholson said at the time that Haas was the most prominent machine tool in Montana and that companies were having trouble finding workers who could operate it.

That pipeline matters in Lewis and Clark County because the college is not training students for a vague technical future. Helena College says its CNC machining program prepares students for transportation, energy, aerospace, job shop and tool-and-die work. First-year students start with manual machines such as engine lathes, horizontal and vertical mills and precision grinders, then build toward six Nc3 Precision Measurement certifications. The goal is to give students both the credentialing and the hands-on repetition that employers expect on day one.

The timing also fits a tight statewide labor market. A 2025 Montana manufacturing survey of 157 manufacturers found labor shortages and rising input costs were among the biggest challenges facing the sector, while only 41% of firms reported major facility or equipment investments in 2024, down from 55% in 2023. Another 2025 analysis said Montana manufacturing generated more than $2 billion in base labor earnings in 2024, even as workforce shortages continued to pressure plants and shops.

Helena College has built its advisory structure around that reality. The school says its advisory councils provide community-needs surveys, curriculum feedback and business connections, and the CNC council includes representatives tied to Haas, Boeing, Pioneer Aerostructures and Diversified Plastics. Danny Farr of Haas Automation said robots should be viewed as tools that help people work in better places in the facility, not as replacements for labor. Boeing’s Amanda Northrup said the program gives students hands-on experience that is critical for their careers and for the future of manufacturing.

For Helena students, the payoff now reaches beyond a classroom credential. It is access to the equipment, certifications and industry contacts that can lead to skilled jobs close to home in a sector that still needs trained machinists.