DUBLIN—The Heart of Georgia Technical College was one of 26 organizations to receive a Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) Foundation grant for 2008. The $5,000 grant funded a week-long day camp for 14 to 16 year old Wilkinson County High School students.

Heart of Georgia Technical College, the Wilkinson County Board of Education, and the Stay in School Program partnered to write the grant. The purpose of the FMA Foundation grant was to support programs with positive hands-on experience, so young people will consider manufacturing as a future career option.

The United States is facing a work force shift with the retiring baby boomers. While technology has improved efficiency rates and reduced the amount of unskilled labor needed, there is an ever-increasing demand for highly skilled workers. The Heart of Georgia Technical College summer camp allowed students to design and create special projects.

Campers learned how to weld separate component pieces into a finished assembly using the latest techniques and equipment. The finished product for welding was a sprinkler. Campers were introduced to AutoCAD. According to one participant, “It was very cool making my dream house.” Students learned the basics and designed a house using the AutoCAD software. Robotics was also taught. Campers built a robot and learned how they worked.

Campers were also exposed to environmental and financial issues. The camp had a “going green” element. The students learned about Global Warming and what they could do to help. The film “Darius Goes West” was shown and Darius Weems, the student the film was about, spoke to the campers. Students were also taught financial literacy. One student said, “I enjoyed learning about how to manage our money and choosing the things we need and not the things we want all the time.”

The camp exposed the students to possible careers in manufacturing, as well as gave them life skills.