Manufacturing Camps Help Students Explore Trade School and Skilled Trades Careers 

It’s no secret that the cost of a four-year university has jumped out of reach for many aspiring students. In-state tuition and fees have more than doubled the past 20 years, rising 107% nationwide, according to U.S. News and World Report. 

Today, in-state tuition alone at state universities averages between $10,500 and $12,000 per year (and double or more for out-of-state students). Add room and board, and you’re talking upwards of $25,000 a year on the cheap side.  

As those costs continue to rise, more students and families are actively rethinking what postsecondary education can and should look like. Community colleges and tech schools average between $5,000 and $20,000 for a full two-year program, after which graduates can explore a wide range of career options, including manufacturing.  

That shift in perspective is where the growing partnership between SparkForce, the FMA Foundation, and community colleges across the U.S. comes in. This year, SparkForce has once again teamed up with tech colleges, high schools, and other organizations to host more than 350 Summer Manufacturing Camps for thousands of students. Colleges like Georgia Trade School in Acworth, Ga., Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wis., and McHenry County College in McHenry, Ill., have enthusiastically hosted camps for years now. 

At the camps, students not only get to experience what manufacturing is all about through activities, plant tours, and classroom presentations, but a huge percentage of them also get firsthand exposure to technical colleges, many for the first time. 

“I think it’s important for them to get into something like this because it just opens doors and avenues for what they could potentially do,” said Melissa Zastrow, Northcentral College’s K-12 events and communications coordinator, at a 2024 camp. “I never was really exposed to welding or any of this, and the older I get the more I think, ‘That could have been a really cool profession.’ 

 “There’s definitely a benefit to exposing them early so they can take some of those opportunities before they even graduate and save themselves some time and some money and get that skill set.” 

Camps run all summer long. To find one near you, visit SparkForce.org.