Plasma, laser and waterjet cutting systems manufacturer Hypertherm has announced schools from British Columbia, Texas and Wisconsin are among the recipients of its 2015 Spark Something Great educational grant program.

The winners include high schools, vocational schools, community colleges, colleges and universities from throughout North America. Each will receive a Hypertherm Powermax45 plasma cutting and gouging system, Hypertherm’s American Welding Society-approved “Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice” curriculum kit, and in-person training from a Hypertherm industrial cutting expert.

 “Choosing among the many worthy programs was really quite challenging based on the dozens of grant applications we received,” said Betsy Van Duyne, manager of Hypertherm’s educational program. “There are clearly a lot of very good welding programs out there, and unfortunately, at the same time a lot of need. We are thrilled to help some of these schools improve the ratio of students to cutting systems, and at the same time, provide students with an opportunity to learn to cut and gouge on a modern plasma system.”

The 2015 Spark Something Great grant recipients include: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia; Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, Texas; Westosha Central High School, Salem, Wisconsin; Jones County Junior College Greene County Center, Leakesville, Mississippi; Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, North Carolina; Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; South Plains College, Levelland, Texas; Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Knoxville, Tennessee; Trades Training Initiative, Peace River, Alberta; and Western Technical College, El Paso, Texas.