ECC's Manufacturing Camp offers hands-on experience
Elgin Community College will hold its first session of Manufacturing Camp, a new full-day summer camp for students ages 14 to 16, as part of its Kids' College offerings.
The camp will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, July 16-19, at ECC's Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Students will be introduced to the inner workings of manufacturing, including computer-aided design, welding and sheet metal cutting.
Additionally, participants will meet with industry professionals to learn more about the various jobs and career paths, and tour a local manufacturing facility.
"Manufacturing Camp is designed to introduce students to the world of manufacturing through a hands-on project made in real shop facilities," said Anne Hauca, dean of workforce development and continuing education.
"With the support of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association's foundation, ECC faculty and Kids' College have partnered to create a program where students will design a product, test the prototype and create a finished model.
"Participants will walk away with an aluminum cellphone holder and their 3-D printed prototype, but, more importantly, they will leave having had a fun learning experience and exploring some of the possibilities available in manufacturing," Hauca said.
Manufacturing Camp was created to offer teenagers the chance to learn about manufacturing firsthand and introduce them to career options in the skilled trades.
A strong partnership between ECC's continuing education division, which oversees Kids' College, and the career and technical education division provided the unique opportunity for both areas to bring their depth of knowledge and expertise into programming for the four-day course.
The camp is taught by experienced and certified ECC faculty members Marc Hucek, assistant professor of welding; Christopher Sikora, assistant professor of computer aided design; and Michael Marin, integrated systems adjunct.
Funding for Manufacturing Camp was made possible by a grant from the Fabricators and Manufacturing Association, International's (FMA) foundation, Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs.
On Wednesday, July 18, Ed Youdell, president and CEO of the Fabricators and Manufacturing Association, will visit the camp to have lunch with the students and speak to them about future career opportunities in manufacturing.
ECC President David Sam and Elgin Mayor David Kaptain will also be in attendance.
Registration for Manufacturing Camp has been filled, but additional spots are still available for other Kids' College programs that run throughout the remainder of June and July.
Kids' College embraces a noncompetitive, nourishing learning environment and helps children stimulate their minds and satisfy their blossoming passion for art, entertainment, foreign language, cooking, sewing, science and technology. For the full list of courses and to register, visit elgin.edu/kidscollege.
Some of the camps offered include: "Cooking Latin Explosion" or "A Taste of Asia" for ages 10 to 15; "Ukulele Kids" for ages 9 to 15; "Let's Build It - Crazy Circuits!" for age 6 to 14; "Paper and Print" for age 8 to 12; "Book Arts" for age 12-15; "Guitar Basics" for age 8 to 12 or 10 to 15; or "Fun With Sculpey Clay" for age 9 to 11.
ECC offers two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees in industrial manufacturing technology, computer integrated manufacturing, welding fabrication technology and computer aided design. Basic and vocational certificates in different aspects of computer aided design, welding and manufacturing are also available and can typically be completed in one year.
Visit elgin.edu/careertech to view a list of ECC's career and technical degrees and certificate options.