Six students win $1000 scholarships at Virginia Manufacturing Technology Camp

Six high school students won $1,000 scholarships at Manufacturing Technology Camp, sponsored by the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber of Commerce and held at Industrial TurnAround Corp. in Chester, Va.

The winners were Todd Fachon, 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 received 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 that would lead them to STEM careers such as manufacturing.

Thirty students from six school systems participated in the four-day competition. The students competed in six teams during a two-hour session Saturday to produce clocks using computer-assisted production methods.

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 Corp., which designs, manufactures, and distributes packaging; and Gerdau, a steel fabricator. They 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.