Clark County students learn benefits of manufacturing at summer camp

Clark County students will have the opportunity to learn about manufacturing during a summer camp this week.

The theme of the week-long camp is Design and Building. Throughout the week, 43 Clark County students will learn about careers in manufacturing, tour manufacturing facilities and learn from experts in the field.

Students will also learn how products are made, participate in team-building exercises and work on group projects.

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“The camp is to help make them aware of manufacturing and the depth of manufacturing careers,” said Rene Stratton, Career Connect Program Coordinator at Career ConnectED. “Springfield is a strong manufacturing city, so we want them to understand all of the jobs, skills and what it takes to get into the field.”

Students at this week’s camp range from fourth to sixth grade. Next week’s camp will feature more technical things, as the camp will be for sixth through eighth graders, Stratton said.

The camp is put on by Springfield City School District, Silfex and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“Ohioans are proud of our state’s long manufacturing history,” said Brown. “To keep up that tradition, we must get a new generation interested in our changing manufacturing sector. That’s what these camps are about.”

Brown’s office started working with school districts to organize manufacturing camps in 2013. Since then, the number of camps across the state has grown every year. This year, Brown’s office will help to organize at least 36 different manufacturing camps across 26 counties in Ohio.

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“These camps are helping students around Ohio learn about manufacturing jobs right here in Ohio and the opportunities our manufacturing sector has create for their parents and grandparents,” Brown said.

Micah Echols, a student attending the camp, said he liked to work on projects at camp, including making a tower using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.

“I’m learning what manufacturing actually is, and how we can use it, which is cool,” Echols said. “When I’m older, I want to be an engineer, and that’s part of manufacturing.”

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