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CNA Foundation donates $15,000 to support youth summer manufacturing camps

The CNA Foundation — the philanthropic arm of Chicago-based, global commercial insurer CNA — has contributed $15,000 to Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT), The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl., Rockford, Ill. This is the second consecutive year that the CNA Foundation has helped fund NBT's manufacturing camps.

Each year, with the support of sponsor companies, NBT awards grants to community and technical colleges that offer summer camp experiences that introduce young people ages 12 to 16 to careers in manufacturing and engineering. The CNA Foundation donation supports four camps for one year.

"In the near future, we estimate that the manufacturing sector of our economy will have a difficult time finding highly skilled workers unless the youth of today can be encouraged to prepare for these careers," said David Rutkowski, senior vice president, commercial segments, CNA. "These camps are important because they provide youth with much-needed exposure to vocational and technical training not found in many public education settings."

The camps target youth at the critical levels of junior high and high school, exposing them to math, science, and engineering principles and giving them opportunities to see the technology being used in industry and the high level of skills that will be required from the work force.