SparkForce Camp Leader Earns National Recognition from Carhartt
By Staff Report | November 10, 2026
Category:
Josh O’Neal receives Carhartt Steel Apple
Joshua O’Neal receives a Steel Apple Award for his work in skilled trades education as his SparkForce-supported manufacturing camp continues to grow
SparkForce summer manufacturing camps are helping introduce the next generation to careers in the skilled trades. And one educator involved in those efforts is receiving national recognition for his work.
Joshua O’Neal, a welding instructor with Hemet Unified School District in California, is one of eight educators nationwide to receive Carhartt’s 2026 Steel Apple Award. The recognition includes a $10,000 grant for his welding program and Carhartt workwear for him and his students.
For the past two summers, O’Neal has helped lead the Reimagined Rosies STEM Makers Camp at Alessandro High School in Hemet, supported by SparkForce, the charitable foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association.
SparkForce supports more than 300 summer manufacturing camps across the country, providing grants, curriculum, and planning resources to organizations that introduce students to manufacturing through hands-on projects, facility tours, and industry experiences.
The Hemet camp is one example of the program’s growing reach. In 2025, more than 40 students participated in the inaugural two-week camp. In 2026, it expanded to four weeks, drawing more than 360 applicants. More than 60 students attended, with over 35 qualifying in one or more welding processes under American Welding Society codes.
O’Neal has worked alongside Reimagined Rosies founder Demi Knight Clark and welding educator Nate Bowman to organize the camps, crediting SparkForce for making their collaboration possible.
“Thanks to the support we get from SparkForce, this collaboration with them would otherwise be almost impossible since we live so far from each other. Our collab has been able to break down barriers and make these young people want to be in the welding game,” O’Neal said.
Read Gareth Sleger‘s full blog post to learn more about O’Neal’s Carhartt recognition and the success of the Reimagined Rosies camp at thefabricator.com.
Applications for 2027 SparkForce summer manufacturing camp grants are open through Dec. 1. Learn more about hosting a camp and applying for funding.
About the Author
Staff Report
The Fabricators and Manufacturers Association is where thousands of manufacturing professionals unite — individuals, businesses, students — under a common purpose: grow the metal processing, forming, and fabricating industries. To do it, we've built a workforce lifecycle that supports individuals and businesses at every point in their development. Ensure they flourish. Get better at what we do, give back to our community. Expand our skills, our businesses, and our careers. Pave the way forward, with fresh ideas and technologies.
Side by side, we move metal fabrication forward.
FMA unites thousands of metal fabrication and manufacturing professionals around a common purpose: to shape the future of our industry, and in turn shape the world.
Learn More About FMA
