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3/2/07 ROCKFORD, Ill -- – Coosa Valley Technical College in Rome, was named a winner of a 2007 manufacturing camp grant awarded jointly by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Foundation (FMAF) and the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBTF). The grants are given to not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions that offer overnight or day camp experiences that introduce young people ages 12 to 16 to careers in manufacturing and engineering.
Coosa Valley Technical College, which received a $2,500 award, is one of 19 recipients nationally announced at FMA headquarters in Rockford, Ill., on February 26, by John Ratzenberger, host of the Travel Channel’s “John Ratzenberger’s Made in America,” former Cheers star and co-founder of NBTF, a charitable organization dedicated to introducing young people to the pleasures of tinkering, creating the next generation of artisans, inventors, engineers, repairmen and skilled workers.
Assisting Ratzenberger in the presentation was Terrence Egan, director of the FMA Foundation, an educational, research and charitable organization that promotes metal forming and fabricating technology in manufacturing.
“Today, too few young people develop the kind of manual skills required by industries, workshops and engineering practices,” said Ratzenberger. “Through these grants, we strive to influence young people to the pleasures of tinkering that can lead to careers in production and manufacturing.”
A demographic shift in the U.S. workforce caused by retiring baby boomers is occurring, and the manufacturing sector is already feeling the impact. There is an ever-increasing demand for highly skilled professionals who can design, program and operate technology, according to Ratzenberger.
“The purpose of the manufacturing camp grants is to provide a positive, hands-on experience so young people will consider manufacturing as a career option,” said Egan. “We’re making an investment in the workforce of tomorrow. This is critical to the economy of the cities where the camps occur and to the nation in general.” The camps target youth at the critical level of secondary education, exposing them to math, science and engineering principles, and giving them opportunities to see the technology being used in industry and the high level of skills that will be required from the workforce.
“These camps provide youth with the exposure to vocational and technical trades that no longer exist in all public education systems,” added Egan. “Inspiring young people to consider these trades will have a positive effect on graduation rates, increase the chance for them to earn a living wage, and create a more qualified workforce and community development in impoverished areas.” (Article Submitted to Rome News-Tribune. No author named.)
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