FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2009
Media Contact: Michael Corby 904.632.3310

Florida Community College free manufacturing summer camp made possible by grant from Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs
Founder/actor John Ratzenberger is nuts about tinkering; wants students to be too!

Good news for 40 Northeast Florida students, age 14 to 18, who are interested in nuts, bolts and thingamajigs. Florida Community College has a free summer camp called IM2 and it may be just right for you.

FCCJ was named a winner of a 2009 manufacturing camp grant awarded by Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, (the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.), founded by John Ratzenberger. The grant is sponsored by The Gene Haas Foundation.

The Florida Community College Industrial, Manufacturing and Machining (IM2) Summer Camp will offer two free one-week sessions in July at the College’s Advanced Technology Center, 401 W. State St. in Jacksonville. Each session can accommodate 20 campers, ages 14-18. First session meets July 13-17 with a second session July 20-24. Camp begins at 8 a.m. and runs until 5:30 p.m. Lunch is included.

The $4,940 grant awarded to FCCJ is one of 16 awarded nationally to not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions that offer overnight or day-camp experiences that introduce young people to careers in manufacturing and engineering.

The IM2 Summer Camp is designed to be a fun manufacturing career exploration experience for middle and high-school students. Campers will gain confidence using manual and automated machining equipment and manufacturing simulators. They will design and manufacture their individual projects. Campers will also visit manufacturing companies to explore the environments. Guest speakers will provide information about manufacturing careers and how to pursue those career paths.

“The purpose of the manufacturing camp grants is to provide a positive, hands-on experience so young people will consider manufacturing as a career option,” said Terrence Egan, Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs director. “We’re making an investment in the workforce of tomorrow. We need to increase the pool of available, highly skilled workers to achieve a manufacturing renaissance and improve our economy.”

“There is an ever-increasing demand for highly skilled professionals who can design, program and operate technology,” said actor, director and producer John Ratzenberger, NBT founder once known as the wise-cracking letter carrier Cliff on the TV sitcom “Cheers.”

“Creating a skilled workforce in the trades is vital to the future of America, and it all starts with getting young people to take pride in tinkering,” Ratzenberger said.

For information about FCCJ’s IM2 Summer Camp e-mail net@fccj.edu or call 904.357.8947. Early registration is strongly encouraged.