Gateway Camps Show Students Making Stuff is Cool

Gateway Community and Technical will host three manufacturing camps this summer for middle school students and high school girls.

The camps are part of our ongoing efforts to increase the number of people pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing, said Carissa Schutzman, Gateway dean of Workforce Solutions. The camps demonstrate to students that making stuff is cool and that the words American made convey not only a sense of pride but an opportunity for a rewarding career in a clean, mentally challenging environment.

The two middle school Career Craze camps are funded by the Lieutenant Gov. Jerry Abramsons office and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The manufacturing day camp begins Monday at Gateway's Center for Advanced Manufacturing on the Boone Campus. Middle school students from the Erlanger Independent School System will attend daily through June 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The second middle school camp has an energy focus and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 23 to June 26 and will draw students from Boone and Kenton county schools.

The camp for high school girls is funded by Procter amp; Gamble through the Greater Cincinnati STEM collaborative. It is scheduled for July 28-31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Boone Campus.

In addition, Gateway is co-sponsoring a STEM Girls Day Out June 27. The event will provide fourth-to-eighth-grade girls from across Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati with a free hands-on learning experience at local manufacturing sites. Co-sponsors include Duke Energy, Toyota, Thomas More College, the Northern Kentucky Education Council and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Parents interested in registering their daughters to attend can find information at www.nkychamber.com.

Todays advanced manufacturing careers pay well, offer good benefits and provide a reliable source of income to both women and men, Schutzman said. Local manufacturers are hiring now and for the foreseeable future. Were pleased to support these efforts to introduce young people to the advantages of manufacturing careers.