Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT), the foundation of FMA, is proud to announce it has been awarded new grant funding through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC) to support Summer Manufacturing Camps throughout Pennsylvania.

The MTTC grant will be used to support six Summer Manufacturing Camps throughout Pennsylvania in 2022 and 12 camps in 2023. The camps, hosted by NBT’s partner schools and organizations across the commonwealth, each have a unique focus. Over the next two years, the camps will introduce as many as 360 students and their families to careers in manufacturing and create meaningful partnerships with as many as 60 manufacturers and local businesses across Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative has funded 71 projects and invested more than $15.8 million through the Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program. These grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and/or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.

“It is vital for students to gain exposure to all types of career paths, including manufacturing,” said Gov. Wolf. “The Wolf Administration remains committed to supporting the manufacturing industry in many ways. Investing in opportunities that allow our future workforce to explore all aspects of the industry ensures that Pennsylvania will remain a competitive location for existing companies to succeed and for new manufacturers to plant their roots.”

“Summer Manufacturing Camps have been proven to be effective in building a pipeline for the next generation of manufacturing professionals,” said NBT Foundation President and CEO Ed Youdell. “We’re proud to partner with Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania MTTC as we encourage young students to pursue stable and rewarding career pathways by expanding manufacturing camp programs throughout the state. Today’s investment in tomorrow’s skilled workforce is a promising sign to manufacturing employers across Pennsylvania.”

NBT’s Summer Manufacturing Camps increase public awareness of manufacturing careers in the region in which they are held and provide a fun and enriching setting for students to engage in manufacturing. Through this exposure, NBT camps often lead to a boost in enrollment in technical education and vocational training programs at host schools which, in turn, will help to recruit a future manufacturing workforce in Pennsylvania and beyond. Find a camp near you at nbtfoundation.org/camps.

To learn more about the Manufacturing PA initiative and the Wolf Administration’s commitment to manufacturing, visit the PA Department of Community and Economic Development’s website.