Hopewell, VA (PRWEB) July 29, 2014 -- Six high school students won $1000 scholarships at the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber-sponsored Manufacturing Technology Camp on Saturday. The camp was held at Industrial TurnAround Corporation (ITAC) in Chester, VA. ITAC CEO Sidney Harrison welcomed about 100 parents and well-wishers to the facility.
The winning students were Todd Farschon II, Brandon Harris and Tamia Johnson from Dinwiddie; Noah George and Brian Jiminez from Prince George and Andrew Wilson from Appomattox Regional Governor’s School.
The students from the winning team were awarded certificates they can redeem for their scholarships from the Virginia Industry Foundation when they are accepted for post-secondary education or training at a certified school which would lead them to STEM careers, like manufacturing.
Thirty students from six school systems participated in the four-day competition. The schools systems included Hopewell, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Henrico and the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School. The students competed in six teams during a two-hour session Saturday to produce clocks, using computer-assisted production methods.
One of the judges for the competition was Hopewell’s Vice-Mayor Jasmine Gore, who said, “This is exciting! I invite any opportunities to be involved in STEM-related activity.” Ms. Gore has a background in biology and chemistry as well as political science.
Four days of hands-on learning:
The students received three days of preparation, which included tours of advanced factory operations at Rolls Royce Crosspointe, which manufactures discs for civil aerospace engines; CaroCon Corporation, which designs, manufactures and distributes packaging; and Gerdau, a steel fabricator.
The students also received lectures and hands-on training in estimating their budgets, placing orders for raw materials, planning production, managing safety, building a team and sharing resources. One team even had to deal with a machine break-down.
The Manufacturing Technology Camp model was developed by STIHL Inc., a global manufacturer of chain saws and other outdoor power equipment, with its US operations located in Virginia Beach, and presented to the Dream it. Do it. Virginia network as an opportunity to host students throughout the state for this valuable hands-on learning experience. This is the second year the camp has been held in the Hopewell-Prince George area.
Among the companies supporting the program this year are Ashland, GDF Suez,Honeywell, ITAC, James River Genco, Rolls-Royce Crosspointe, CaroCon, Church & Dwight, DuPont, Evonik Chemical, Gerdau and Service Center Metals.
About the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber of Commerce:
Founded in 1920, the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber of Commerce promotes business growth, workforce development and community connections. With nearly 400 Members, the HPG Chamber works to build strong community relationships with Hopewell and Prince George businesses and residents.
About Dream It. Do It. Virginia:
The Dream It. Do It. Virginia (DIDIVA) outreach and awareness network is a partner of the National Dream It. Do It. network as developed by the Manufacturing Institute (MI) and expanded to Virginia in 2007 by the Virginia Industry Foundation (VIF) and VMA. The DIDIVA network’s mission is to encourage people to explore and pursue advanced technology careers in Virginia, like manufacturing, biotechnology, robotics, nanotechnology, aviation, energy, information technology, healthcare and more. DIDIVA offers a free, online career resource tool built by Virginia’s advanced technology sector to help individuals learn more about exciting career opportunities and connect them with possible future employment, as well as a two-time award winning “So What Do You Do?” integrated marketing campaign featured in all its media.
For more information, visit http://www.dreamitdoitvirginia.com.
Polly Elmore, PR Works, LLC, +1 (804) 794-3631, [email protected]
SOURCE PR Works, LLC
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