We Make RI to hold first segment of manufacturing job camp for teens online

CRANSTON – Manufacturer-training organization We Make RI will start this year’s Manufacturing Job Camp with an online classroom segment followed by in-person participation, the organization said in a news release.

Designed for high school graduates looking to launch careers in manufacturing, the camp is the first of its kind, according to the group. Due to COVID-19 considerations, the four-week camp, which is normally held in the We Make RI facility in Cranston, will now start online for the first program module before moving to the facility. It will begin on July 27.

Upon completion, We Make RI staff will match camp participants with manufacturing jobs. Students will also be registered as manufacturing apprentices after completing the program and may be eligible for college credits.

“Manufacturers are hiring, and the 2020 high school graduates are landing in a troubled job market,” said Barbara Jackson, We Make RI executive director, in a statement. “This year more than ever, we’re looking to help make a match between high school grads and our manufacturing partners.”

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To provide more tangible training, camp participants will each get an activity box with supplies for hands-on projects in subjects such as math, assembly and quality control, according to We Make RI.

The camp program is free. Enrollment is open now. Students who wish to participate must be 18 years old by the end of June, be a resident of Rhode Island and have earned either a high school diploma or GED diploma.

We Make RI, a nonprofit, was founded in 2014. It recently moved from 5 Sharpe Drive in Cranston to a larger location, at 200 First Ave. in Cranston.

Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.