The PMMI Foundation partners with Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs to support summer manufacturing camps

The PMMI Foundation, part of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, Reston, Va., is supporting 10 summer manufacturing camps in 2020 and 2021 with a $100,000 grant to Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT), the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl., Elgin, Ill.

With common awareness of the career paths and needs of these collaborative industries, the PMMI Foundation and NBT are partnering to develop summer camps that educate and inspire the future workforce to explore careers in manufacturing with the goal of narrowing the growing skills gap. The grant will support and allow approximately 300 students, ages 12 to 16, to be introduced to the manufacturing process from design through production. “One of the most widespread challenges cited by our members is how to address the growing skills gap within the packaging and processing equipment manufacturing industry,” said Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “The partnership between the PMMI Foundation and Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs is an exciting opportunity to reach and inspire young people to pursue careers in manufacturing.”

One- or two-week-long summer camps have been a successful way of introducing middle and high school students to the fascinating, high-tech career choices available to them in today’s advanced manufacturing industry. Camps allow students to make something with their own hands, sparking their imagination and encouraging them to consider a career in manufacturing. This summer NBT will support a record 133 camps across the U.S.

To be eligible for camp grant funding, schools must be able to accommodate at least 12 students at their facility, direct an entrepreneurship camp curriculum, introduce manufacturing processes that allow hands-on experiences to build a take-home project, and provide opportunities to tour local manufacturing plants during the camp.

Since 2005 NBT has awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to trade schools, community and technical colleges, and high schools in 36 states to host summer camps that have served over 5,000 students, encouraging them to pursue careers in manufacturing. For more information, visit www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org/camps.