20 Grants Awarded to Community and Technical Colleges
offering Day Camp Experiences for Youth

ROCKFORD, ILL., June 2, 2014 – Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT), The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA), announces the winners of its 2014 manufacturing camp grant awards.

Twenty grants, ranging from $500 to $3,000 were awarded by NBT to community and technical colleges offering day camp experiences that introduce young people ages 12 to 18 to careers in manufacturing and engineering. Major sponsors of these camps are the CNA Foundation of Chicago, Disney-ABC Studios, Kelly Services and Reliance Steel.

The 2014 grant winners (listed alphabetically by state) are:
• Northeast Alabama Community College, Rainsville, Ala.
• Arkansas State University Newport-Jonesboro, Jonesboro, Ark.
• College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, Calif.
• Science Center of Pinellas County, St Petersburg, Fla.
• North Georgia Technical College, Clarkesville, Ga.
• Harper College, Palatine, Ill.
• Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, Ill.
• Triton College, River Grove, Ill.
• Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, Mich.
• Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minn.
• Itawamba Community College, Tupelo, Miss.
• St. Charles Community College, Cottleville, Mo.
• Manchester Community College, Manchester, N.H.
• Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio
• Aiken Technical College, Graniteville, S.C.
• Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College, Ogden, Utah
• Thomas Nelson Community College, Hampton, Va.
• Green River Community College, Auburn, Wash.
• Moraine Park Technical College, West Bend, Wis. (Affiliate camp)
• Marshall University Research Corporation, Huntington, W. Va.

“There is a demand for highly-skilled professionals who can design, program, and operate technology, and we don’t see that demand subsiding for decades,” said Bryan Hawkins, NBT board chair and President/CEO of Hawkeye Industries, Inc., a contract manufacturer for OEM sheet metal components. “Creating a skilled manufacturing workforce is vital to the American economy, and it all starts with introducing young people to the career potential in this sector and providing an engaging hands-on experience. Inspiring youth 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 in the participating communities,” Hawkins added.

“We’re making an investment in the manufacturing workforce.  We need to increase the pool of available, highly skilled workers to address the skilled labor crisis as Baby Boomers retire. These camps provide youth with the exposure to vocational and technical trades that no longer exist in most public education systems. Introducing youth to well-paying, high-tech manufacturing careers will definitely improve future prospects for our economy,” said Edward Youdell, president & CEO of FMA and NBT.

The camps target middle- and high school-aged youth, exposing them to math, science and engineering principles, and giving them opportunities to tour companies, work directly with technology, and design and manufacture a product to take home with them.

Supporting these camps with CAD/CAM student edition software donations is SolidWorks Corporation.

Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs: The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., also issues scholarships to students attending community colleges and trade schools to pursue training leading to careers in manufacturing. More information on NBT is available by visiting www.NutsAndBoltsFoundation.org