By MATT PIKE
During the summer, the Center for Workforce Development at Missouri Western State University will host summer camp activities for youth in St. Joseph.
Director Rebecca Lobina says the summer camps for kids actually has more to do than workforce development than people may realize.
"A couple of reasons actually, so one reason is because anytime you can get students, young children or even young adults on campus is a good thing for a university," Lobina explains on the KFEQmunnity show. "It helps familiarize the students with the campus, it helps get them used to being on a college campus and realize it's not so scary, it's not so daunting, so one day if they decide they want to go to college they're already familiar with one campus."
But also, Lobina says, the camps being offered go hand in hand with work force development.
"One of those camps is called 3D printing for fun," Lobina says. "3D printers are used throughout industry for prototyping different, unique things that people are trying to build and see if it works, see what it looks like, let's have a first go at it if you will, so 3D printing is actually a very good skill to learn."
Lobina says the camp is intended for elementary aged students and will give them the opportunity to learn how the software works, create things on the 3d printers, and watch them be created.
While the camps are designed with fun and creativity in mind, Lobina says it also could open students eyes to a career opportunity they might not have known about.
"Because it exposes them to something that they may not be exposed to at home or even in school," Lobina points out. "3d printers, yes some people have them in their home, but most people don't have a 3d printer in their home and most students, especially in elementary school, have never seen a 3d printer, and so this just exposes them to one more thing, it's just like exposing people to the arts and getting them in a manufacturing facility."
The 3D printing for fun camp runs in two sessions the week of June 22nd through the 26th, or August 17th through the 21st, from 8:30am to 11:30am each day. Registration is $99.
Other summer camp opportunities through the Center for Workforce Development are the Fast Feed Academy, teaching students to run faster, Tuesday's and Thursdays in June, starting June 2nd for $100. Also, the Kids Around the World Camp will be held July 17th through the 21st, with registration for $125.
You can find out more information on each camp by visiting the Center for Workforce Developments website.
Interview
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.